Camelot
by caro1414
Summary: [re-post] How can Rory move on from her divorce from her college sweetheart, Tristan DuGrey with 2 kids, and an overbearing family. How on earth can she work on the campaign of her ex brother-in-law Logan Huntzberger while she tries to juggle moving forward with her life
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This idea came to me randomly last night and I decided to give it a try. Forever & Always will be wrapping up soon, so I had this little guy in the back of my head. This is Rogan, as always, there might be some Trory flashbacks, but the story itself is Rogan. Also, keep in mind, I am Canadian and therefore only know a bit about American politics, so please bare with me as I try to work through all of this. Also, these characters are not going to be completely true to who they were on the show. Rory was raised by her mother and father in Connecticut, and Logan and Tristan were raised splitting their time between Connecticut and Washington. As always, read and review. Also, I posted this earlier today, but mistakenly posted the wrong edit, aka the UNEDITED one where I had some larger areas, so I pulled it down and re-posted it. This is a shout out to those of you who let me know about my errors, I so appreciate it. It will be a challenge to keep them all worked out, but read closely, and I'm sorry if I still screwed up :) **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

There are moments in life that we realize that some people will always disappoint us. Even worse than those moments are the ones where you realize that you don't care if that person disappoints you, but you care about the tiny hearts that he is breaking along the way.

**Chapter 1:**

"You shouldn't be here." she let out a long exasperated sigh as she leaned against the doorframe. Before he could protest, she spoke again, "This isn't your problem, they are thrilled to see _you _but _he _should be here. Tristan should be here, they are Tristan's kids, he should just let you just be Uncle Logan, not part time Daddy"

"Ace," Logan Huntzberger sighed as he walked into the house he was so familiar with, "you know why I'm here, we both know why I'm here. He asked me to come, I came, and I really don't want to cause a scene. Not again."

Rory Hayden looked upwards at the long catwalk that connected the master bedroom to the 4 other bedrooms on the upper level. "I'll go get them." Rory shook her head as she began walking up the stairs. It was a Friday night, and just like the custody agreement mandated, twice per month 9 year old Halle DuGrey and 6 year old Jake DuGrey would go to their father's house. They would spend the weekend with Tristan, Rory's ex-husband and his new girlfriend, unless, as Rory suspected the case would be this weekend, they were unavailable. Whether or not her kids would be spending time with their father was always dictated by whoever she opened the door to at 5:45 every other Friday. If it was Tristan, which was rare, she knew that he would be with the kids, and they would come home thrilled. Over the moon about whatever new game, or toy he had let them have, or how they had stayed up till all hours of the night watching television and eating junk food. Immediately after the divorce, this had bothered Rory, but as the occasions where Tristan picked his own kids up became fewer and fewer, Rory found herself wishing they would come home like that more often. When Logan Huntzberger came to pick up the kids, or _Uncle Logan, _as the kids called him, it was a different story. Sure, they would come back happy, stomach's full of less than healthy food, and homework completed, but they missed their father.

Logan Huntzberger and Tristan DuGrey were step brothers. They had been since Logan was 11 and Tristan was 8, they had done almost everything together growing up, Logan's family was heir to a publishing dynasty, and his father had moved into politics shortly after his second marriage to Linda DuGrey. Mitchum Huntzberger platformed on his Republican roots and the Brady Bunch image he had created with his two children, Honor and Logan, as well as his step kids, Tristan, Tyler and Amy. The Huntzberger's had morphed into a Kennedy-esque family as Mitchum rose to various different levels of State and Federal government. When Tristan had married none other than Lorelai Hayden when they were each 24, it had been a match made in heaven. At least for Tristan's dreams of a political career as well as Mitchum's image. Logan however, he played the part of cool brother in law and later cool Uncle to the best of his ability. He was the loved son, he didn't have to try too hard, everything came naturally to him. As much as it was well known how much Tristan yearned for the approval of Mitchum , Logan Huntzberger was the one to watch.

"Halle," Rory knocked gently on the door, "Halle?" she called again when she got no response. She could hear music playing, and could only imagine that Halle was ignoring her, even though she knew that she would be heading out for the weekend. "Halle please open the door or I will come in there myself." Rory warned as she tapped her knuckles against the door three more times. Rory sighed to herself, she was fairly certain it was only going to get worse, but her 9 year old had the attitude of a 15 year old. "Alright, Halle," Rory let herself in the room to see her blonde haired, blue eyed daughter sitting cross legged on the bed sketching on a notepad. "Uncle Logan is here."

"Where's Dad?" Halle muttered, not even looking up from her lap.

"I don't know where your father is." Rory told her honestly, "But your Uncle is here to get you, and I am going to get your brother. I expect you to be downstairs by the time I get him, understood?"

"Dad's supposed to get us." she stated simply, still not putting down her pencil.

"Hal, I don't have time for this, and neither does Uncle Logan. I will call your Dad and talk to him about this later. For now, you have to go with Logan." Rory told her firmly, "5 minutes." Rory stated before turning on her heels, leaving the door to the bedroom open before heading to Jake's room. At least she didn't have to knock on his door yet, he didn't _demand _privacy, "Jake, honey?" Rory called as she opened the door, silently cursing as she stepped on what she imagined was a G.I Joe figurine. "You need to clean up your room after this weekend."

"Is Dad here?" Jake grinned at her, his floppy brown hair in his face as her practically darted from where he had been sitting in his window seat, probably staring out the window waiting for his father to arrive.

"No he isn't, but Uncle Logan is here." Rory told him, bending down and giving him a kiss on the top of his head, "Do you have all your stuff?"

"It's in mybag." Jake told her simply, rolling his eyes while he was at it.

Rory chuckled, maybe she was wrong, maybe she would start getting attitude from her 6 year old earlier than she had suspected. "Alright then, let's go." Rory put her hand on his back to guide him out of the room, flipping off the light as they left, "Halle, come on." she shouted as they walked past her room and down the stairs.

"Mom, you said Uncle Logan was here?" Jake looked at her quizzically as they made their way down the stairs.

"Because Logan is here?" Rory looked up to see her ex husband standing in front of the door with a big smile on his face and Logan nowhere in sight. "Halle!" Rory shouted again, refusing to acknowledge him standing there, "Your Dad is here!"

Immediately Rory could hear movement in her daughter's bedroom, "Dad's here?" she shouted as she grabbed her bag and ran to the stairs, reaching the landing and thrusting herself into her father's arms, "Daddy!"

"Hey kiddo, change of plans, my meetings were done sooner than I expected." Tristan smiled at Rory as he kissed the top of Halle's head and then gave Jake a hug, "Sorry about the mix up guys."

"It's okay, Dad!" Jake assured him happily.

"Hey Rory." Tristan nodded at his ex-wife. "Sorry about the mix up."

"Well, I'm glad you're here now." Rory gave him a half smile.

"Is it alright if they come back after dinner on Sunday?"

"Sure." Rory nodded.

"Thanks." Tristan smiled, the first genuine smile she had seen from him in a long time.

"Alright, well you guys have fun." Rory smiled, looking past Tristan and out the door, noticing that Logan's car was still there. She knew him well enough to know he was in the living room getting himself a scotch. Rory kept the smile plastered on her face as both of her kids gave her a hug, at their father's direction, "I love you two. Be good for your dad, and Tristan, please not too much candy on Sunday?" she pleaded with him.

"I'll do my best." Tristan winked as he took the kid's bags and headed towards the door, "Later, Mary."

_Mary._

Rory had hated the nickname, he had given it to her when they were in their first year of University. Tristan had called her that when they were at some frat party with all of his frat boy friends. Rory had gone to the party because her best friend, Paris, had wanted to go meet some new guys, and she had dragged Rory with her. That is the night she met Tristan DuGrey, and so began his feverish pursuit of her. If only she had realized then how it would all turn out. She let out a long sigh, "How the hell did this happen?" she sighed, 36, divorced with two kids.

"Don't let it get to you Ace." Logan's voice came from behind her. "I wasted a perfectly good Friday too."

"So he just showed up?" Rory asked Logan as they stood in the foyer. Spending her Friday night hanging out with her former brother in law was not what she had expected, but she and Logan had always gotten along. They had chemistry, and they were friends, despite some happenings that had occurred in the years they had known each other.

"He called me this afternoon, said he had meetings that were going to run late."

"Better than saying he had to see Trixie, or whatever his new bimbo's name is." Rory interrupted him, bitterness obvious in her voice.

"Her name is Lauren." Logan corrected her, "Anyway, he called, said he had meetings and asked me to pick up the kids and hang out with them tonight. Then, low and behold once I get here, superman himself arrives just a few minutes later. I guess his meetings resolved themselves."

"Superman." Rory rolled her eyes, "Well, can I interest you in an additional drink?" she asked, "May as well make the most of our crappy Friday nights."

"You wanna talk about it?" Logan asked as he walked back into the living room and poured himself a scotch. "Martini I assume?"

"Vodka please." Rory nodded as she sat down. "Talk about what?"

"Tristan and Lauren?"

"Why would I want to talk about the two of them?" Rory scoffed as Logan handed her a drink.

"Because Tristan got the house in the divorce, and I know you well enough, and have known you for long enough to know that it would eat away at you knowing that someone else was in your house with your kids."

"I like this house better." Rory countered quickly, ignoring the majority of his comment. She had built the house in the process of the divorce, it was a large, two story with a colonial look to it, but with all of the amenities that a new house had. It was large, but tiny compared to the 12,000 square foot house she had lived in before. "That house your dad and Linda built for us...it was just too big. Sterile. He can do whatever he wants in it."

"Ace."

"Can I ask you something?" Rory tucked her leg up underneath her as she sipped her martini.

"Shoot."

"Did he ever tell you?" she paused, "Why he divorced me? Why he walked out on our marriage? Not the bullshit, 'I don't love you anymore' that I got from him." Rory laughed, "I mean, by all accounts, he needed me for his career, or his dream of a political career. I mean, you know from your own campaign, you guys believe in...what is it, family values? Is that what they call it?" she took another, larger sip and crossed her arms. "Anyway, I was just wondering. I'm sure there is a bro-code or something, you can't tell me what he's told you, but I just...I never knew what made him throw it all away."

Logan sighed. He had known for a long time that this conversation was coming, he supposed it was the reason that some people don't befriend their in laws. But Rory was a friend, a good friend, and his idiot step brother divorcing her wasn't going to be the reason that he stopped speaking to her. "Rory, does this really even make a difference anymore? I mean, it's done, it's over. The ink is dry, the kids are alright..."

"They aren't alright." Rory countered, shaking her head and running a hand through her long, loose hair. "I mean, sure, to Uncle Logan I am sure that they look alright, but Halle, oh my god, the attitude she has started to throw since the divorce. I just...I don't know, I don't know if she would have been like this no matter what, or if its only because Tristan and I split up."

"Hal is a kid. She will figure it out, she just needs time, and if I recall, from what I've heard about parenting, this is a tough age for kids." Logan joked.

"A tough age? Really?" Rory laughed. "You know what," she shook her head, "forget I ever asked. Maybe I'm better off not knowing."

"Whatever you say, Ace." Logan put his feet up on the coffee table.

"So what about you, _Master and Commander," _Rory called him by his nickname from when they all attended Yale together, "what is going on in your life? I mean, I see you are planning on running for the Republican nomination? Do you have a girlfriend maybe?"

"Who told you that?" Logan gave her a trademark smirk.

"Well, someone named Max, a campaign worker? Maybe your campaign strategist came by, and anyway, he explained to me the importance of saying nothing, and the importance of us as a _family unit. _As in all of us, the Huntzberger-DuGrey family, and apparently me by extension, although my last name is Hayden. What are you planning on using your niece and nephew for?"

"He came by already?" Logan gritted his teeth as he took another sip of his drink, "Sorry Rory, I was supposed to come talk to you before that. Anyway, I don't want to _use _the kids. I just think that doing a bit of campaigning might be fun for them."

"Not to mention it would make you look more like a family man and less like a playboy? A fun Uncle, who even though he has no kids of his own can still be responsible?" Rory countered.

"Well, that might be an additional benefit." Logan agreed.

"You haven't talked to Tristan about this, have you?"

"Why do you say that? Tristan has a good job at the DOJ, what more can he want?" Logan rolled his eyes.

"You know that the Department of Justice is not where Logan wanted to end up. This entire family didn't transplant to Washington the second we got married just so that he could work at the DOJ. Just like _you _didn't only want to only be the Congressman from New England."

"I've spent my life pandering to what Tristan needs, or what he needed to hear." Logan rolled his eyes, "You and I both know he wouldn't get elected. He has a good job, within the government, and I can assure you, _if _I get the nomination, and _if _I am elected, he will have a good job within my administration, but Tristan is not meant for this."

"I know," Rory shook her head, "I don't know why I'm defending him."

"You were married for 10 years. His dreams became your dreams Ace, and you still love him in some ways." Logan told her as he took his feet off the table and stood up, "I'm having another. You want another?" he held up his drink.

"It sure is nice having a man around the house." Rory mocked as she handed him his drink, "You know it's only 6:15, and I'm already on cocktail number 2? This can't be good for a man of your power and prestige!"

xxx

Four hours and more drinks than they could count later, Rory couldn't help but laugh, she wasn't sure exactly what she was laughing at, maybe the joke that her life had become, or maybe it was that she was laughing because for the first time in a while, she didn't feel alone.

"Well, I promise that you have my vote." Rory winked at Logan who had moved to the couch beside her, "But only because you know all my secrets."

"I do know all your secrets." Logan laughed as well, a hearty laugh coming straight from his gut, his brown eyes sparkling as they spoke. "Do you remember your bachelor-bachelorette party in Vegas?"

Rory froze, her eyes widening as the smile on her face grew and she once again burst out in laughter. "You promised." she poked her index finger into Logan's chest, "That you would never tell anyone about that!"

"I haven't told anyone about that." Logan assured her, "You already know about it, and we're just talking"

_Las Vegas, 12 Years Earlier_

_"Ace, what are you doing here?" Logan cracked the door to his suite open. They were in Las Vegas, 12 of them staying at the Wynn Resort. They had rented the 3 bedroom duplex, as well as the 2 bedroom apartments for the extended long weekend they were enjoying._

_"I want to see Tristan." Rory told him sweetly as she pulled at the hem of her satin kimono. "Where is he?" she looked into the room._

_"Tristan is asleep Ace." Logan lied. He wasn't sure where Tristan was, but he knew that he couldn't tell her that, he also knew Tristan well enough to know that he talked a big talk, but Logan wasn't sure if he had ever actually cheated on Rory, probably because he had always sworn he would never ask. That part broke his heart, the idea of someone cheating on Rory, she was always kind and shy, willing to help just about anyone, and his douche bag of a step brother was willing to throw it all away for someone in a short skirt and tight jeans. "Come on, I'll take you back to your room?"_

_"Logan," Rory was drunk, she playfully pushed on his shoulder as he stood in front of her with no shirt and just a pair of Burberry pajama pants slung low off of his hips, showing off his defined chest and tanned skin from the day they had spent by the pool, "I am just going to go see him." she attempted to push by him, deep down she knew that Logan was covering for him, that if she went into Tristan's room, she would find the bed empty. He was likely at a club, or a strip club with beautiful women surrounding her. And here Rory was, telling her friends to go out without her, staying in at her bachelorette party in hopes of scoring a quickie with her soon to be husband._

_Logan immediately stepped in her way, using his body to stop her, "Ace, he's really drunk. Trust me, I'm sure whatever you have going on under this is amazing, but he won't be able to function. And you and I both know what a blow that would be to his ego." Logan told her, his hands lingering on the satin of her robe. He couldn't help but notice that it didn't seem as though she had much on underneath it. _

_"Whatever." Rory rolled her eyes, her cheeks flushing crimson red partially due to embarrassment over being turned down, and partially due to embarrassment over being this close to her future brother in law. "I'm going to bed."_

_"Here, I'll walk you back. Just wait a minute, come in while I get a shirt." Logan distanced himself from her as he pulled her into the suite, "I'll just be a minute."_

_Rory stood silently in the massive suite that the boys were staying in, at least 3 of them, and whatever conquests had been brought home were staying in. She twirled the tie of her kimono until it had undone itself and left her standing with the robe open, exposing the midnight blue, satin and lace baby-doll she was wearing underneath. So much for a late night surprise, she thought to herself as she stood, defeated in the foyer._

_"Alright, ready?" Logan came back, pulling a white cotton t-shirt over his head and stumbling over his words as he saw her standing in front of him. "Cover up there, Ace, I wouldn't want you to catch a cold in all this air conditioning." he suggested awkwardly as he put his hand on her back to lead her out the door._

_Rory had always suspected that Logan was at least attracted to her. I mean, it made sense that he was attracted to her. She was an attractive girl, or woman, she always had been. Porcelain skin, long, dark hair and bright blue eyes, Rory was the poster girl for 'girl next door'. As she had grown up though, she had grown into her figure, and had become a gorgeous young woman._

_"The girls are all out." Rory told him as they reached the door to her suite. She didn't know if it was the alcohol talking, or if she just needed the attention as she spoke, "I had been hoping to see Tristan." she told him, running her finger down his chest._

_"Rory." Logan cleared his throat as her finger made its way to his belly button. "Come on, let's get you to bed."_

_"Shouldn't you be out?" Rory challenged him, "With the boys, with Tristan?"_

_"I told you, Tristan is in bed." Logan continued his lie._

_"Bull-freakin-shit." Rory laughed as she let herself into her room, "Tristan is off with the boys, at a strip club, or at a club, dancing with women like I don't even exist. What we don't know however is if he is going to fuck someone tonight, or just get into some heavy petting." she spat in an almost venomous way._

_"Ace, come on, you've had to much to drink." Logan told her as he followed her into the suite. "Just go to bed." Logan was too drunk for this kind of discussion, his head was fuzzy and his thoughts were all over the place, he couldn't focus, between the scotch, and the champagne, and Rory standing in front of him in lingerie, touching him, it was just too much for him to focus on anything._

_"Come with me." Rory winked, her normal shy personality out the window after a few bottles of bubbly. "Wouldn't it be fun? Just for one night."_

_"You're my brother's fiancee." Logan shook his head, the devilish grin on his face growing, "You aren't that kind of girl."_

_"Haven't you always wondered?" Rory smiled as she slipped the kimono off of her shoulders, leaving herself standing in the foyer with just her lace baby-doll on. "I mean, I see you looking at me Logan..." her voice trailed off as she stepped towards him._

_"Rory, this is a can of worms you don't want to open." Logan told her honestly. Sure, he had been attracted to her, and sure, his step brother wasn't the greatest guy in the world, but Rory was marrying Tristan, and Tristan was Logan's family._

_Rory nodded, immediately flushing and picking up her robe, feeling that wash of embarrassment come over her again. "Sorry, I...I just...I drank too much. I'm just going to go to bed." Rory told him quickly staring down at the floor._

_"Ace." Logan could see the heartbreak in her eyes, he stepped towards her and lifted up her chin, "You're beautiful, and you are smart, and in any other world, if I had met you first, if you weren't marrying my brother, I wouldn't be saying no."_

_"He's sleeping with god knows who." Rory told him quietly._

_That was it. That was the straw that broke the camel's back for Logan as he lowered his lips onto hers, gently, not in a harsh or drunken fervor, but instead, gently he kissed her and pushed his tongue for entrance to her mouth. His hands found their way to her hips and he pulled her towards him, deepening the kiss as she moaned gently into his mouth. _

_"Logan," Rory breathed as they both came up for air, his mouth immediately making its way from her lips to her jawbone and down her neck as his hands moved up and down her hips, settling gently on her behind as he pulled her closer to him, "oh god." she whispered as they backed up towards the wall and she found herself pinned against it._

_"Ace," Logan murmured, his hands finding their way under Rory's nightgown as she wrapped her legs around his waist, giving him closer access. "I-" he was cut off by her lips crashing down on his once more._

Logan sighed at the memory. It was one he didn't think of often, mainly because it was a night he wasn't proud of, but at the same time, it was a night he didn't regret.

"It was fun." Rory tried to lighten the mood.

Logan nodded, "And look at us now."

"I should have known then, you know?" Rory leaned back on the couch, "I knew he was cheating, you knew he was cheating, but I still married him. I hoped it would change."

"Did he?" Logan looked at her, leaving the memories of their one night together in the past.

"You don't know?" Rory looked at him with surprise as she took her attention away from the cobweb that had caught her eye.

"Tristan and I had an unwritten rule. I never wanted to know. I never asked, he never told me, it meant I was never officially guilty of lying to you."

"He stopped." Rory told him, "After the wedding, after the kids, he didn't cheat on me. Tristan was attentive, and kind, up until the point he told me he had fallen out of love with me, and that our marriage was over." she gulped back the rest of her drink, "But once we were married, he never cheated on me."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Well, as always, I appreciate all of your encouragement and support. In the upcoming chapters we will see a little bit more background, such as what kept Rory and Tristan together, as well as the family dynamic. Also, for anyone wondering, Halle is pronounced Hal-e. I am hoping to have another chapter up by the end of the week, if not earlier. As always, read and review.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything**

**Chapter 2:**

Just like every other Sunday, Rory stood in her living room, pacing back and forth as she looked out the bay window towards the street, waiting for her kids to come back home. She had spent her Friday evening reminiscing with Logan about the years they had spent together as a family, even though he was her brother in law. They had always been close, he had been around through the ups and the downs, through everything with the kids, and even through the divorce, he had always made it clear that yes, Tristan was his brother, but Rory was still his friend.

She saw the lights flash by the window and the engine cut.

"Shit" she muttered to herself as she saw Tristan get out of the car and walk with the kids to the house. Normally he would just watch them run inside, clearly he had to talk to her about something. Rory walked to the front door, unlocked it and opened it, allowing the kids to run inside. Jake immediately wrapped his arms around Rory's waist. "Hi sweetheart, did you have fun at your dads?" she asked as she hugged him.

"Dad wouldn't let us have candy last night." Jake pouted, "I'm sooooo glad to be back."

"Jake say goodbye to your Dad," Rory looked up at Tristan who was standing in front of her in the doorway, Halle had already blown past her and made her way into the kitchen, "and then go upstairs and put your stuff in your room, and clean up the toys on your floor before dinner, alright?"

"Ok." Jake mumbled as he turned to his father, "Bye Dad. See you in a couple weeks?" he shrugged.

"Sure thing buddy." Tristan messed up the hair on the top of Jake's head, "Be good for your Mom." he told him as Jake adjusted his backpack on his shoulders and ran up the stairs. "Sorry to bust in on you like this."

"Yeah, a call would be good. Is everything alright?" Rory asked him, silently patting herself on the back for choosing to get out of her sweatpants that morning and pull on a pair of dark jeans and a cable knit sweater.

"Well, I wanted to talk to you about the arrangement." Tristan told her.

"As in the custody arrangement?" Rory asked, noticing Halle lingering in the doorway to the living room, "Hal, go upstairs and put away your things please. Dinner is in an hour, so you can do some homework in the meantime while your Dad and I talk."

"Fine." Halle grumbled and rolled her eyes as she stomped her way upstairs.

"Come in," Rory told him, closing the door as he stepped inside, "I don't want to pay to heat the outdoors." she added for good measure.

"So, every other weekend..." Tristan rocked back and forth on his feet.

"Every other weekend." Rory repeated, "Those were the conditions of our divorce settlement, you see your kids every other weekend for an overnight visit, and you are more than welcome to visit them throughout the week, or on my weekends throughout the day." she regurgitated the agreement they had so painstakingly settled just a couple of years earlier.

"I want another overnight visit." Tristan swallowed the lump in his throat. "Maybe during the week? A Tuesday or something?"

Rory took a deep breath, trying to think about what was best for her kids, rather than letting her emotions boil over. In the original custody discussions, Rory had _suggested _that Tristan have the kids for a night throughout the week, but Tristan had balked at the idea. He had said it would disrupt their weekly schedule too much, and that he had to work late some days during the week, so this would be too hard for him. "Let's sit." Rory told him, walking towards the living room, "Can I get you a drink?"

"A scotch, if you have it." Tristan nodded as he sat down on the couch, unsure of whether or not these were pleasantries that they were finally able to exchange years after the divorce, or whether or not he should be prepared for an attack from the woman he left behind.

"Just let me grab a new bottle." Rory told him, not mentioning the fact that Logan had polished off a bottle of scotch when he had been over on Friday.

"You start drinking scotch?" Tristan asked, knowing he was pushing the envelope by engaging in a remotely personal conversation with his ex wife.

"No," Rory called from the pantry where she stored her excess booze, "Logan had a few drinks here on Friday night after you came and picked up the kids."

Tristan nodded, he had walked right into it. He knew exactly where this conversation was going to go, "Look, Ror, I'm sorry about that. I thought that my meetings were going to run late, but they finished early. I didn't want you to think that I was just ignoring the kids." he told her as he watched her pour him a drink.

"Here." Rory handed him the amber liquid and took a seat on a chair opposite him, "If we want to consider you getting the kids for another night during the week, I think that maybe it would be best if you started picking them up, and spending full weekends with them more often." she told him, "And maybe once you can consistently do that for a few months, we can re-visit all of this."

"Rory," Tristan sighed, "I just want to see my kids."

"Tristan, we were together for a long time. Some would probably say we were together for the best years of my life, so I think it is fair to say that I know you well, wouldn't you?" Rory asked him, receiving a nod in response, "So please, don't take this the wrong way because I know that you are a great Dad, and your kids love you more than anything in the world. But this isn't you. You aren't asking for more time, so be honest with me, _who _wants more time with the kids?" Rory asked him, knowing that if it were Mitchum or Linda, or even one of his siblings, they would have just called Rory and asked themselves.

"It's me Rory, I want to see my kids more. I want to be a part of their life. I mean, I was talking to Lauren, the woman I'm seeing."

"There it is." Rory interrupted him, "Lauren thinks you should spend more time with them?"

"Rory, just give it a chance. Please." Tristan asked her pleadingly.

"How long have you two been together?" Rory asked sincerely.

"About 8 months."

"Are you living together?" she asked, thinking back to what Logan had said about another woman living in her house.

"She stays over some of the time." Tristan nodded.

"Can I make you a counter offer?" Rory suggested, not wanting to know any more about the woman for the time being. She knew that Jake would tell her, and she also knew that as long as this woman wasn't hurting her kids, Rory had no place questioning who Tristan was dating.

"You always were a great lawyer." Tristan smirked, giving her the same grin he had given her for years.

"Why don't you start with taking them from 6 until 9 every Tuesday." Rory suggested, "If that goes well, we can look at it being an overnight?"

"Seriously?" Tristan smiled at her, a genuine, wide grin on his face.

"Seriously." Rory nodded, "But any night that someone other than you comes to pick them up, they stay here. They only go if it's you. So before you agree to this, I need you to commit to spending time with them. It will break their hearts if they expect to see their Dad, and they end up having to stay home."

"I won't screw up, Rory. I promise." Tristan tried to assure her.

_I promise._

Rory smiled at the sentiment, thinking of all of the promises they had made to each other, and how many of those promises they had broken.

"So we'll see you Tuesday then? 6pm?"

"Maybe I'll even be early."

"Let's not make promises we can't keep." Rory laughed, "How were the kids this weekend?"

"They were good. Jake is great, he thinks I walk on water, which is pretty cool. Hal...well...Halle has some attitude issues, which obviously you have already noticed. I just don't know what it is, she's so mad at me."

"She's mad at you?" Rory was surprised to hear that, Halle always acted as though the idea of being with her father was a million times better than being with Rory.

"When she's at the house, all she says is how you let her do something different. I just don't know what's gotten into her. She used to be such a fun loving kid." Tristan sighed, and for the first time in a long time, Rory could tell that he was actually concerned about her.

"We got a divorce." Rory stated simply. "I mean, when my Mom and Dad split up, I was only a little bit older than Halle is now, and for a long time I wanted them back together. When Mom re-married Luke, hell, there was going to be a nuclear war in my mind." Rory referred to when her mother had married Luke Danes, Rory's step-father and the father of her half siblings. "You always hold out hope that they are going to get back together, is Halle behaved when she's with Lauren?"

"She's cordial. But she isn't Hal. Every once in a while I get a glimpse of our girl, the bubbly vivacious little girl that she used to be."

"Me too." Rory smiled, "Well, maybe we should talk to her. See what she needs from us. Or maybe this means we should start doing some things together. We don't hate each other Tristan. There was no big fight, no name calling...you just...fell out of love with me." she repeated the words he had told her when he had announced the divorce, "You didn't fall out of love with our kids, so let's show them that."

"Would that have helped you?" Tristan asked, "If Lorelai and Chris had made a point of doing things with you, would that have made it better? Or would that have made you wish even more that they would have been together."

"I don't know." Rory admitted, "I mean, they didn't do that. My parents were seen together at events only when we all had to be in one room at the same time, and when they were together, they were with their new spouses. Why don't I go and get her? We can try to talk to her."

"We need to know what we are going to say Ror." Tristan told her, "We can't bring her down here and give her hope, we aren't getting back together."

"Thanks captain obvious." Rory rolled her eyes. "Trist, I need you to focus for a minute, do you remember when we told her we were going to take her to Disney? When Jake was almost 3 and Hal was 6? Before the divorce, before everything changed? Our 6 year old not only got a week at Disney, but she got me to quit my job. Halle will tell us what she wants, but we need to ask her."

_3 Years Earlier, Washington, D.C_

_"Halle bear, come downstairs, Mom and I need to talk to you." Tristan called up the stairs, he was wearing a pair of dark jeans and a royal blue Burberry crew neck sweater. He immediately heard little steps running down the stairs as Tristan walked into the family room where his almost 3 year old son was watching cartoons and his beautiful wife was working on her computer, "You sure this is a good idea?" Tristan laughed, leaning over the couch and giving Rory a kiss on the cheek, "They don't know, we can still get out of it." he literally jumped over the couch and wrapped an arm around his wife before his daughter burst into the room._

_"Okay Jake, come sit over here with your sister." Rory smiled at her kids, as she put her computer down on the table. "Hal, take a seat on the couch. Dad and I have something to tell you."_

_"Are you telling me I'm having a brother or sister again?" Halle giggled as she hugged her little brother. _

_Rory laughed, Halle didn't actually remember when they had told her about Jake, but she liked to pretend that she did from having heard the story when Jake asked about before he was born. "No, you aren't going to have another brother or sister." she told them._

_"Your Mom and I were thinking," Tristan squeezed Rory's shoulder, "that it would be fun if we went to Disney World next week. What do you think?" he asked, watching the expression on Jake's face go from confusion to pure joy._

_"Do we get to see Mickey!?" Jake squealed as he looked at his sister and then at his parents._

_"Yeah, Mickey will be there." Tristan laughed, "What about you Hal?" he looked at his daughter who wasn't giving much up with her facial expression._

_"If we don't go to Disney world," Halle countered, proving that she was very much Rory's daughter, "maybe you and Mommy could not go to work, and we could just watch movies and snuggle here?"_

_"Halle, we are going to Disney." Rory laughed, "You have wanted to go to Disney for a long time, why don't you want to go now? I thought you would be excited."_

_"You and Daddy are too busy." Halle looked at her parents, "You're always working, and Maria always picks us up." Halle told her, referring to the nanny that had been hired just before Jake's second birthday._

_"Honey, Maria helps us because Daddy and I both have very important jobs." Rory explained, she was on the fast track to partner at a law firm, and after her second maternity leave, she made a point of trying to prove that she could still do everything that she had done before she had kids. "You and Jake said you like Maria."_

_"Not all the time." Halle rolled her eyes._

Tristan laughed, thinking back on the conversation that seemed like it had taken place so many years earlier. "Who knew we were going to tell her that we were taking her to Disney, and you would end up quitting your job afterwards."

"She needed us." Rory shrugged, "Being a parent, I think that we both have learned that we have to do anything for them. So we need to figure out what we are going to do to fix this now. The difference between then and now is that we can't fix it the way she wants us to."

"So we should try to do things together? The four of us?" Tristan agreed to her previous suggestion.

"I don't think it could hurt? I mean, we can have this conversation, so obviously we can get along." Rory nodded. "I'll go get her. See if we can't get this resolved. Help yourself to another drink?" she gestured towards the bar as she stood up and walked upstairs. She couldn't help but think about how even though things had changed, she and Tristan were finally understanding the importance of co-parenting for their kids. "Halle." Rory cracked the door open, "Can you come downstairs please. Your Dad and I want to talk to you."

"Both of you?" Halle looked up from her book, towards her mother.

"Yes, both of us, so come on." Rory pushed the door open and began walking back down the stairs. Rory quickly made her way back to the chair she had been sitting in before, smiling as Halle sat down next to Tristan. "Halle, your Dad and I want to talk to you about how you're feeling."

"What do you mean?" Halle asked shyly, her age showing in her unusually shy behaviour.

"You know that your Mom and I love you, more than anything, right?" Tristan looked at her, giving her shoulder a reassuring squeeze as Halle nodded. "And I know that sometimes you probably wish that your Mom and I were still together, or that we would get back together, but honey, your Mom and I aren't going to get back together."

"I know you aren't getting back together." Halle crossed her arms defensively across her chest.

"I know you know sweetie." Rory smiled at her, "But I know that when I was younger, sometimes I wished your Grandma and Grandpa would be together again, even if I knew that it probably wouldn't happen. But your Dad and I were thinking, it might be good for you, and for Jake if we started doing things together sometimes. We could maybe have dinner together, or do activities, or even if we just watched movies together sometimes." Rory glanced towards Tristan who was nodding as well.

"What about Lauren?" Halle glanced towards her father.

"Lauren and I like each other honey," Tristan told her honestly, "but just because Lauren is around doesn't mean I don't love you, or your brother. Maybe I can try to have more time with just us?" he suggested.

"Don't you love Mommy?" Halle asked quietly.

"I do." Tristan nodded, "Because your Mom gave me you, and your brother, and your Mom and I have been friends for a long time, we will always be friends, but Mom and I ... we just shouldn't be living together anymore. But we're still a family. We're just a different kind of family."

xxx

Rory sighed as she put her head in her hands, she had barely made it to the office on time after dropping the kids off for school. She had overslept, probably due to exhaustion, Tristan had stayed for dinner, and they had talked about the importance of doing things together. Tristan had kept reminding the kids that they would never be together romantically anymore, but they would always be a family. Even though Rory always knew that was true, having it beaten into her mind so many times in one day was a little bit much for her. It wasn't that Rory was holding out hope for them to be together, but all it did was remind Rory that she was alone.

Shortly after the divorce, Rory had gone back to work, she needed to, mainly because she refused to be that woman who lived off of alimony and child support, she needed to show her children that she could be self sufficient. Rory had managed to go back to her old firm where she scaled back her duties, and instead of being on the fast track, she had managed to work every day from 9-3 so that she could be home for her kids.

"Your 9:15 is here." Rory's secretary, Jennifer knocked on the door.

"Send them in." Rory took a sip of her coffee, fixed her hair, and straightened her posture before the door opened again.

"Surprise." Logan smiled, his brown eyes sparkling as he walked into her office.

"You here for legal advice?" Rory smirked as she stood up and gave him a hug, "Why didn't you tell me you were coming when I saw you on Friday?"

"Why didn't you look at your own schedule and therefore _know _that I was coming?" Logan challenged her with a wink as he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "So professional." he looked her up and down.

"Well, funny that I might be _professional _at my office." Rory laughed, she was wearing an Armani suit, she had barely managed to throw it on that morning given how late she had been running, and her hair was up in a tight bun with just her bangs swooped to the right.

"Excuse me, Ms. Hayden," Jennifer knocked on the door, "can I offer either of you a drink?"

"Ill have a latte please." Logan smiled at her, "Thank you."

"I'll just have another black coffee." Rory nodded her thanks as the door swung shut. "So, you're here for business, and you didn't mention it on Friday, which tells me it is about the campaign?"

"I want you to work on my campaign, fix things, make problems go away before I even know they exist." Logan told her bluntly, "You know the family, you know the lies, you know our secrets. I can't think of anyone better to do this job."

"You want me to clean up after the Huntzberger mess to get you a nomination?" Rory leaned back in her chair. She was surprised that this is the offer he was giving her. She knew of at least a dozen highly qualified _fixers _in Washington, but she could tell that the reason he was asking her wasn't because he wanted a great fixer, it was because he wanted someone he could trust. Logan didn't trust easily, he was always wary of being burned, sometimes Rory thought that was why he had never gotten married.

"You think you are up for it?" Logan gave her a grin.

"Well, look, in the spirit of working for you, I need you to hire me. For anything, right now, and then we can speak under the umbrella of attorney client privilege, then we can discuss whether or not I am best suited to handle your _secrets." _Rory told him, "I'll have Jennifer bring in the contract, and I will need a $12,000 retainer. Standard, you understand."

"Jesus, this is absolutely where you are at your best. Screw making cookies." he laughed as the door opened once more and Jennifer handed them each their coffee. "Thank you."

"Jenn, can you please bring in a contract? Mr. Huntzberger is going to be retaining me as legal counsel for some personal matters. He will write a check for the retainer."

"Of course." Jennifer nodded, and as quickly as she had come into the room, she was gone.

"Am I going to have to be on the campaign with you?" Rory asked him, sipping her coffee.

"Yes."

"Did you forget that I have two children I have to take care of? Your niece and nephew no less."

"You're a businesswoman Ace," Logan told her, "you can make whatever decision you want about this. But this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, to get your name on the map as something other than Tristan's ex-wife." Logan knew it was a low blow but he also knew it was the push that Rory would need. "You'll be gone sometimes, but you'll be back too, this is a chance to be a part of history."

"Do you have an idea of what your schedule will be?" Rory asked, ignoring his comments.

"I will e-mail it to you." Logan took out his Blackberry, "Sent."

Rory quickly refreshed her e-mail and opened the attachment, "Logan, this is a lot of being away, and living in hotels, I don't know." she admitted.

"Oh come on, look at them, Ace. They are nice hotels." he joked.

"I have to work something out with Tristan." Rory told him, "Before I can agree to any of this, before I can consider any of this, I need to talk with Tristan."

"You're going to ask his permission?" Logan took a sip of his latte. "Come on Ace, this is an opportunity."

"Logan," Rory shook her head, "this isn't about asking for Tristan's permission, I am a Mom, and I need to make decisions that are best for my kids, and for my family. Even if Tristan and I aren't together, we need to do things together."

"Excuse me," Jennifer knocked on the door, "I have the contract." she walked in and handed Logan a folder.

"Thank you." Logan nodded as he pulled his Mont Blanc pen from his and quickly scrawled his name beside the post it notes on 3 copies of the document. "There, I guess I'm yours."

"So tell me what I'm hiding."

"Well, first of all, you are hiding the fact that we slept together."

"Logan, obviously I am never going to bring that up." Rory practically scoffed at the idea, "Why would I embarrass myself, and my children, not to mention Tristan by telling the country, the world," Rory hushed her tone and looked at the door, "telling them that we had sex."

"I know you wouldn't, but the fact of the matter is, you came to my room, you were in lingerie, you were drunk, we weren't quiet." Logan sighed, "Look, we don't know if anyone knows, we assume that no one knows, and in a perfect world, no one knows. But if they do, it could come out. And we need a spin machine. And I think you need to tell Tristan."

"I'm not telling Tristan until I have to tell Tristan. It would hurt him, and it would hurt you...so if it is going to come out, I will tell him, but until then, it stays between us."

"Whatever you want."

"What else?" Rory nodded.

"There was a girl." Logan leaned back in is chair.

"A girl?" Rory grinned, "When?"

"In college, she and I broke up just before you and Tristan got together." Logan explained, "She got pregnant."

"I'm sorry, what?" Rory almost spat out her coffee. "She got pregnant?"

"She got pregnant," Logan nodded, "don't pretend you didn't always wonder if that had happened. Anyway, obviously, there is no Huntzberger baby running around anywhere, she had an abortion, at a clinic in New Haven."

"Who knows?" Rory pushed further, returning to her professional demeanor.

"She and I." Logan shrugged, "And I guess whoever did the er..procedure."

"You never told anyone? Never a drunken story? Finn and Colin don't know?"

"They don't know. I've never told anyone, until right now. It isn't exactly something I'm proud of." Logan told her.

"It doesn't need to come out, but we need to talk to the girl. What's her name?"

"No," Logan shook his head, "until you are working on this campaign, this remains my secret. I'm not going to just tell you so that you know."

"You don't trust me?"

"I trust you Ace, but this...this isn't just about me, this is a woman who has a husband, and a family now, and it would tear her apart."

"So you need to make sure she doesn't talk. To do that Logan, I need to talk to her."

"Then I suppose you have a conversation with Tristan to have about whether or not this is a job you are willing to take."

xxx

"To what do I owe this pleasure?" Tristan looked at Rory as she walked into the P.O.V Rooftop Lounge & Terrace atop the W Hotel. "I mean, we had Sunday dinner, and now you want Monday drinks?"

"I need to talk to you about a job offer that has come up."

"I thought you were scaling back?" Tristan took a sip of his beer, "You didn't want to get too involved?"

"This isn't with the firm, this is with Logan's campaign."

"Logan my brother, Logan?" Tristan repeated.

"Who else would I be talking about?" Rory asked as the waitress appeared to take her order, "Can I just get a sparkling water please?"

"Why does Logan want you to work on his campaign?"

"Because I already know the secrets, and the lies that your family tells. I can tell when you're lying, and because I would protect the family with everything I had. He knows that, you know that, and his Dad knows that. Logan won't tell me, but I can tell that Mitchum is pulling the strings. Mitchum wants this to be a family campaign."

"A family campaign." Tristan nodded, he had been kept out of the loop, he knew it was because Mitchum wanted to avoid the awkward conversation where he had to explain to his step-son that Logan was going to be the star of the show, that Logan was going to earn the nomination, that Logan was going to run for President. Then, after it was all said and done, Tristan would be able to watch from the sidelines as Logan became the man that everyone wanted him to be, the man everyone thought he was destined to be. "So sometime this week, I would imagine that I will be asked to go visit my mother, and Mitchum will suggest that using our kids will help the campaign?"

"Tristan, this isn't about that. I am talking to you about taking a job that would mean I was out of town a lot. I would need you to commit to watching the kids, most of the time, and then flying them out on weekends to visit me." Rory tried to avoid the argument that she knew was coming. "This is about my career. I gave up a lot for you, for your career, for the life you wanted, and I am asking you to help me."

"If this is what you want." Tristan shrugged, taking a sip of his drink, "Who am I to take that away from you. I'll watch the kids, I'll fly them to wherever they need to go, you are a good lawyer Rory, I took a lot away from you in the time that we were together. I won't take this away from you."

"Thank you." Roy smiled, unsure of why tears were beginning to well in her eyes, "Thank you Tristan."

"I'm sorry." Tristan told her, raising his glass as he spoke, smiling when she gave him a confused glance as she nursed her soda water, "I'm sorry that I made you feel like you were somehow...I don't know how I made you feel, I just know that I never meant to hurt you. All those years ago, when all of this started, when we fell in love, I never meant to hurt you the way that I did. I loved you, and now, here we are, so many years later, and we aren't together, and we don't love each other anymore, but I never meant to hurt you the way that I did. I wanted us to be a family, but I woke up one day, and I just didn't know how to make it work anymore."

"Tristan, this is the future we are talking about. We aren't talking about the past anymore, when we got married, we were happy. I don't think you ever wanted to hurt me, or that when we got married, you didn't think we would be together for a long time...the fact of the matter is, we didn't work, we weren't happy. At least now, we each have the opportunity to do things that help the other be happy. You get to be with the kids more often, and I get a chance to have my career." Rory smiled, "So I think that now, you should tell me what you have to say. Because I can see it in your eyes Tristan, there is something going on that I need to know." Rory continued. She knew him well, she had been married to him for a long time. She could tell when he was lying, she could tell when he was hiding something, and she could tell when he was scared. In this instance, it was a combination of scared, and hiding something. "You can tell me Tristan."

"I..." Tristan swallowed the lump appearing in his throat. He had thought it would be easier, he thought that telling her would be simpler, and that he wouldn't feel as though he was betraying her all over again. "I am going to ask Lauren to marry me."


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:**

**A/N: I'm sorry for the delay, I had a really busy couple weeks at work because I am now on vacation, so that means I will hopefully get an update or two done while i am relaxing. **

**Disclaimer: I still don't know anything**

"Wow." Rory smiled, trying not to let her emotions betray her as she spoke. She felt like she had just been punched in the gut. She had just asked her ex husband to take care of her children for the foreseeable future, and he had followed it up with 'sure, my new wife and I would love to. She'll make a great Mommy figure', "I didn't know you two were that serious."

"I really love her Rory. I think she's the one." Tristan told her as though he was talking to an old friend, and not his ex-wife.

"Well, I guess that is logic I can't fight." Rory gave him an icy laugh, "I mean, sure enough, I remember you saying the same thing to me. Only that seems like a million years ago." Rory added, she was clearly upset, even if she didn't want to be, nor did she know exactly why she was upset. She was over Tristan, she had been over Tristan for a long time, but the idea of _her husband _being someone else's husband just seemed surreal to her.

"Rory that was a long time ago." Tristan sighed, referring to when they were married, "I just didn't want you to be blind sided, I was hoping that we could be a team for this one. It is going to be hard for Halle and Jake. You being pissed off about it isn't going to make it any better. It will only make this worse for them, and I know you don't want it to be any harder for them."

_Martha's Vineyard, 13 Years Earlier_

_"Come on Rory, have another glass." Tristan handed her a champagne flute, "You look beautiful tonight."_

_"Thank you." Rory clinked her glass against his, "I'm glad that we decided to do this."_

_"This?" Tristan nodded to the water sparkling in front of them, fireworks in the distance. "Yeah, I think this was a great way to spend the holiday weekend. But, I didn't bring you out here just to stare at the scenery." he put the champagne flute down on one of the patio tables. "Rory, I asked you here, because I love you."_

_Rory looked at him incredulously and gave him a gentle laugh, "I love you too." she gently rubbed her arms as a chill caught her off guard, "Should we get back to the party?" she nodded back towards the main house where Logan, Finn, Colin, Stephanie and a hoard of other friends were waiting._

_"After." Tristan smiled as he reached into his pocket, "I love you Rory Hayden, and I want to spend the rest of my life loving you." Tristan pulled out a small red box from his pocket, "So marry me, Rory, be my wife, be Mrs. Tristan DuGrey and let me spend the rest of my life showing you how much I love you."_

"So you want my support, with the kids." Rory shook her head, taking the memory of what she once thought was one of the happiest moments of her life out of her head. "I can help with the kids." she agreed.

"And my family." Tristan admitted.

"Your family?" Rory repeated, wishing she had picked a stronger beverage.

"My Mom and Mitchum always liked you, that much is obvious by the fact that they are hiring you to work on Logan's campaign. If they see that you are alright with this, they will be alright with it too." he explained.

"Tristan, if you're happy, I'm happy. But let me be clear. While I am gone, you and Lauren aren't playing house with my kids. She is going to be their step-mother, and that is it. She is not Mommy, or Mama, or Mom. She is Lauren, and she does not get a say in how they are raised. The way we raise these kids is up to us, and she is more than welcome to be along for the ride and execute our parenting styles, and technique, but so help me, if I ever hear her _opinion _of how we are raising them, I will probably rip my hair out." Rory told him honestly. "You should have told me this before."

"Before what?" Tristan challenged her, "Before you asked me if you could run off for a year to work on a campaign with my golden boy brother?"

xxx

_3 Weeks Later_

"Mom don't go." Halle crossed her arms, her bottom lip trembling slightly as she stood on the tarmac at Ronald Reagan National airport, "I promise to be good."

"Honey," Rory wrapped Halle into a hug, "this isn't about being good, you are perfect, and amazing, and I wouldn't change a thing about you. But this is an opportunity for our family that I have to take. And Grandpa is going to fly you guys to Austin to see me on the weekend, so you will barely even notice that I'm gone with all the fun that you and Dad are going to have."

"And Lauren." Halle mumbled into Rory's shirt as she held onto her mother tightly, "I love you."

"I love you too Hal." Rory smiled, "Be good for your Dad, and be good for Lauren. She makes him happy, and that is what we want."

"You said we would be a family. You and Dad promised, we were going to do more things together, and we were going to be a family."

"And we are going to do that. But honey, the way our family looks is changing, and we both want your Dad to be happy."

"Will you tell me about when you and Daddy were young?" Halle asked, again showing her youth when she spoke.

"I'll tell you what," Rory looked at the private jet that was waiting for her, "I will ask your Dad to go and get an album from my house, and if you bring it with you to Austin, and we can go through it, and I will tell you all the stories you want, ok?" Rory suggested, kissing her once more on the top of the head, "But honey, your Dad and I aren't getting back together."

Halle nodded as she looked down at the ground. "Do we...?" she looked between her mother in front of her and her father who was waiting in his SUV a few hundred feet away.

Rory nodded for Tristan to come over and get the kids, "I love you both, be good for your Dad, you can call me whenever you want." she told them as Tristan reached them, "Take care of them, and call me...whenever, for anything. Hall wants a photo album from my house, can you take her there?"

"Everything will be fine." Tristan assured her with a grin, "Go make history for my family." he added, Rory wasn't sure if it was hurt or jealousy in his voice, but she knew well enough that it wasn't happiness.

"Bye." Rory said a final time before walking to the stairs of the jet, taking a deep breath as she walked onto the plane.

"Welcome aboard, Ace." Logan grinned, "Just us on this flight." he continued, "I guess it's the advantage to your Dad already owning the jet, we get to fly on our own." he handed her an envelope, "This is our schedule for the next couple of days."

Rory took the envelope and began leafing through the pages, "I guess this next month or so is all about making money. I could have sworn Mitchum had enough?"

"He has more than enough, and if it were up to him, he would probably fund this entire campaign." Logan laughed, "But for many reasons, some legal and some moral, that isn't allowed."

"I'll just wait until wheels up, and then I have some e-mails to catch up on." Rory smiled as she opened a bottle of water from her purse, taking a moment to appreciate the fact that she was flying private. That was a perk of the Huntzberger and DuGrey lifestyle that she had appreciated, never having to wait in lines, simply being able to board the plane and get on her way with whatever she wanted in her bag. It was an even better saving grace when the kids had been particularly young and she would take them from Washington to Hartford to see her and Tristan's parents.

"We've got time Ace," Logan looked up at her from his magazine, "just enjoy the flight, read a book, don't work too hard."

Rory nodded, agreeing to enjoy the last few hours of freedom she would have throughout what she knew was going to be an incredibly busy few months trying to make their way to an election. "Can I ask you something?" Rory blurted out, almost immediately regretting the decision.

Logan put his magazine down and looked at her as the plane began to taxi, "I think after all these years, I'm pretty much an open book to you."

"So, I know about you and I sleeping together, and I know about the other...situation." Rory glanced around to confirm they were alone, but then realized everyone would have been forced to sign the same non-disclosure agreement that she had. "Logan, I've known you since I was 18 years old, since we were in college, I knew you before I started dating Tristan. You keep your private life private, you always have. So I guess this is really two questions," Rory began to ramble, "anyway, firstly, why the hell are you so private? You want to be President, you can't be private _and _be President."

"Second?"

"Oh...and why don't you ever bring anyone around the family?" Rory added her second question.

"I don't bring anyone around the family because I have seen what that has done to my siblings." Logan explained, seeing confusion on Rory's face, "Do you remember when you and Tristan first started dating? Obviously you do, you were 19 years old, I was 22, and you two started dating around Christmas, and the first thing my parents did was parade the two of you around to every family event, party, or fundraiser they could find. And then, Honor and Josh got married in May, and you got dragged to that wedding, and so did that girl Tyler was dating...Michelle? Rochelle?"

"Michelle." Rory interrupted.

"I don't mean it to say that they didn't like you, or even that you hated having to go to all of that shit, but you guys literally were paraded around in front of cameras, and it was just too public for me. You and Tristan could never go grab dinner at The Olive Garden." Logan shrugged.

"Really, because that is your idea of a great date?" Rory rolled her eyes, "You're right, we were paraded around, and it made some things hard, but we also saw the world, we had these amazing experiences that I wouldn't trade for anything."

"Do you ever think that if you and Tristan had been able to spend a bit more time being normal, just living in a regular world that you two might have stayed married?" Logan countered.

"I didn't want to stop being married to Tristan when it ended, so I can't answer that." Rory told him quietly.

"I'm sorry." Logan exhaled, "I'm not trying to attack you, or your relationship with my brother, or my family, they love you, you love them. But I never wanted that. And for your second question, why do I want to be President if I'm so private...or I guess that is the first question." he paused to look out the window as the plane rose into the air, "I honestly think I can change the world. I think that I can do this, and I don't think my relationship status has anything to do with it. If I meet someone, I meet someone. If I don't, I don't, I can be happy on my own."

xxx

The flight to Santa Barbara, California was long, but relatively uneventful, Rory put her sunglasses on before the doors to the plane opened, and she adjusted her black dress as she grabbed her purse. She didn't expect there to be much press for the first leg of the tour, it would be a lot of meetings and mud slinging between candidates, but that was par for the course, especially when you were a member of a prominent family.

"You have a problem." Rory commented as they quickly walked off the plane and joined a waiting SUV where Logan's campaign manager, assistant, and several other campaign workers were waiting.

He glanced at her, his blonde hair shining in the light, "What kind of a problem?"

"Well," Rory looked at her Blackberry and read through the e-mail, "it looks like a girl, her name is Vanessa is accusing you of being the father of her 9 year old son." Rory handed Logan the phone, and picture of the woman who was accusing him. "Do you recognize her?"

"I slept with her on and off for a while." Logan nodded, "That kid isn't mine." he shrugged.

"Oh, well why don't we just release a statement that says that." Rory rolled her eyes, ignoring the others in the car as she began drafting a statement, "I am releasing a statement, it will say that although you admit to having _dated _Ms. Vega a decade ago, you are not the father of this child, and you would be happy to submit to a DNA test in order to clear up these rumours as quickly as possible, as it is in the best interest of the child that there be no confusion regarding the paternity." she suggested.

"She's good." a man's voice boomed.

"I told you she was." Logan smirked as he took off his sunglasses, "Ace, meet my campaign manager, Matt Reynolds. Matt, this is Rory Hayden, my sister in law, and thankfully for us, my lawyer/fixer/right hand for this campaign."

"How did you get that?" Matt Reynolds asked, he was a few years older than Logan, slightly taller with dark brown hair, tanned skin, and green eyes. "I mean, how did you get that before I got that?" he re-asked the question as he searched through his e-mail to see if it had been missed.

"It's nice to meet you." Rory smiled awkwardly as she held her purse on her lap, still glancing at her phone. She wasn't used to commanding anyone's attention unless she was in a board room, a courtroom, or her kids were screaming at each other. "I have a contact, Paris Gellar, she works for the Times, and she let me know."

"You are friends with the media?" Matt raised an eyebrow as Logan sat back and let them bicker.

"I have known Paris since I was a kid, so I am friends with Paris, and I am friendly with other members of the media. I think this is something that will help us in the long term. Paris is going to want an exclusive, but we can give her an exclusive of something great that Logan does, she doesn't need an exclusive about a bunch of bull shit." Rory explained, "I take that to mean you and the free press aren't on the best of terms?"

"That's one way to put it." he laughed, "I like her." he looked at Logan who was looking at his own phone as Rory went back to drafting the statement regarding the supposed child.

"We'll need to have a DNA swab couriered to..." Rory paused as she returned to the e-mail from Paris, "Oregon where this woman and her kid live."

"We'll do it from the hotel." Matt chimed in before turning to one of the volunteers, "Have a doctor meet us there, please."

"Why are we paying for a hotel?" Rory asked, not looking up from the statement she was still drafting.

"We need somewhere to sleep Ace, I would think that was obvious." Logan glanced at her slowly.

"No," Rory shook her head, "I mean, your family owns a house, specifically a house in Santa Barbara, so why are you playing the wealth card. Your a Republican, we get it, you've got money, but wouldn't you be able to appeal to a wider demographic if you stayed in your houses, at least when possible, so it doesn't look like you're just throwing money away. I mean what does one night at a hotel around here cost a night for everyone? Fifteen, twenty thousand?" Rory challenged him.

"Jesus Matt, what do I have you around for again?" Logan grinned. "We can't change it here Ace. But I think you might be right. I mean, between my Dad and my mom and her respective ex-husbands, I would think there would be somewhere that I could stay?"

"Sorry." Rory mumbled as she could feel every pair of eyes in the car burning into her.

"Don't apologize Ace. They are all just too chicken shit to call me out." Logan told her, "E-mail me that statement before you send it out."

"Sure thing, boss."

xxx

Rory yawned as she kicked off her pumps and collapsed on the bed at the hotel. She was exhausted, between flying to California that morning, and then spending the day running around to different events, it had been a long day.

"Hey sweetheart." Rory smiled, she had propped her I-Pad against the wall in order to enjoy a Face Time chat with her kids. "How was your day?"

"Dad is being mean." Jake pouted like he always did when he missed his mother, "Why don't you come home."

Rory exhaled deeply, "Honey," she began, "I have to do this, this is my job. But Grandpa is going to bring you to see me on Friday, so that is only 4 more sleeps until you are here. And we are going to hang out in my hotel, and eat junk food, and watch movies all weekend because Uncle Logan says I don't have to work this weekend."

"What are you doing for Uncle Logan?" Jake asked quietly.

"Well, I am helping him to get elected. He wants to be President, and first he has to get all sorts of people to give him money, and then vote for him." Rory explained.

"Grandpa and Grandma have lots of money. Why do you need more money?" Jake asked, "You should ask Grandpa, and then you can come home soon."

Rory laughed, "It's a little bit more complicated than that. What did you do today?"

"I made marshmallow spiders in school." Jake told her triumphantly.

"Marshmallow spiders? Did you tell your Dad? He will be so thrilled that we are paying for a world class education for you, and you make marshmallow spiders!" Rory laughed, "What were they like?"

"They just had pretzel sticks and icing." Jake explained, "Even you could make them."

"Even I could make them?" Rory chuckled, "Honey, are you guys hanging out with your Dad?"

Jake nodded towards the camera, "He and his friend Lauren are making dinner."

"Does he know that you are calling me right now?" Rory asked and Jake nodded quickly, "Can you ask your Dad to come to the computer so I can talk to him for a minute?"

"Hold on." Jake told her before bouncing away, Rory could hear him shouting in the background.

"What's up Ror?" Tristan asked as he sat himself in front of the computer.

"You guys are making dinner?" Rory asked, "Have you told them yet?"

"Ahhh, Jake mentioned us." Tristan smirked, "No, haven't said anything," he lowered his voice, "haven't said anything. I was actually thinking instead of good old Mitchum bringing the kids to you, I could bring the kids this weekend, and you and I can tell them together."

"Have you asked Lauren?" Rory clarified.

"No," Tristan shook her head, "I want the kids to understand first."

"Well then, I guess I will see you at the hotel?" Rory agreed.

"I'll give the kids a kiss for you." Tristan told her.

"Night." Rory quickly shut Face Time off, slightly annoyed that her conversation had ended with a discussion with her ex husband. A knock on the door interrupted her plans to spend the remainder of the evening relaxing, she quickly stood up and slipped her shoes back on and walked to the door.

"You put your shoes back on, for me?" Logan smirked as the door opened. "Ace, you shouldn't have."

"Had I known you it was you, I wouldn't have." Rory kicked her shoes back off, "What's up, boss?"

"Don't call me boss." Logan laughed as he walked into the room, "There are plenty of other expletives that you can use to describe me, and most of them are probably more fitting." he walked directly to the mini fridge, "Drink? On me?"

"On you? Well it is your campaign, so this had better be on you." Rory walked back into the hotel room and took a seat on the bed, "What can I do for you, Logan?"

"I just wanted to hang out." Logan shrugged, "I mean, I was having drinks at the bar with Matt and some of the other campaign guys, and let me tell you, this whole having people kiss my ass all the time thing...it is going to get old."

"Logan Huntzberger, you don't mean that." Rory scoffed as he poured her a glass of wine. "You love being the big man, having everyone pay attention to you. This is your dream, this is Mitchum's dream, and this is your brother's dream, so I certainly hope you can handle it."

"Are we having this discussion again?" Logan rolled his eyes, "What is going on with my brother? He obviously has you all bothered about something."

Rory let out a long sigh, "Off the record? Friends?"

"Family." Logan corrected her, "We will always be family."

"He's asking her to marry him." Rory took a sip of her wine, "He is going to start a new family with her."

"Ace," Logan gave her a sympathetic smile, "what did you think was going to happen?"

"I don't know." she admitted, "I guess I should have known he would move on that he would find someone. But now, now he's at home, with my kids, our kids, and she is there, any they are doing whatever it is they do, and here I am...drinking wine in a hotel room with my former brother in law, trying to get him elected."

"The company isn't bad." Logan took a sip of his scotch, "Rory, Tristan will always have someone on his arm. You know that, he can't be alone, my brother hates being alone. You also know Tristan well enough to know that he would never admit if he made a mistake. Lauren is safe, she is pretty, and smart enough, she is absolutely safe for him. You deserve to be more than a safety net for him. You are smart, and driven, and you have two beautiful kids who are going to be amazing. They are going to be amazing because you and Tristan made two great kids. He didn't love you the way you deserved it Ace. So who cares, who cares if he moves on, if he settles, you can go on and live an extraordinary life. Who cares about him?"

Rory laughed, she knew that he was well meaning, she knew that Logan was trying to make her feel better, to make it feel like she wasn't losing her family. "I'm sure you believe that, even if I don't."

"Ok little miss self deprecating," Logan challenged her, "What was wrong? What did I say that wasn't true?"

"All of it, none of it, I don't know." Rory shrugged, "I should go to bed, or watch the news, or catch up on work. You," she poked her finger into Logan's chest, "you shouldn't be here."

"Why shouldn't I be here?" Logan smirked as he stood up and put his drink on the counter.

"Optics." Rory told him, "It looks bad. We are family, so we can get away with a lot, we can enjoy a lot of things, we can do things together. But the optics of it aren't great. You don't need any attention, you don't need bad attention, negative attention. You need good attention, which is why I noticed my previously empty weekend in Austin now includes a trip to the zoo with my kids, my ex-husband and his step-brother, so you are more than aware of the optics, Logan."

"I guess I'll see you in the morning?" Logan asked as they both stood up. "And just to be clear, I want to see my niece and nephew."

"I know you do Logan. But it is clearly a double edged sword for you." Rory walked him to the door. "Thank you for the drink and for the pep talk. I appreciate it."

"It was just the truth Ace." he told her, placing a soft kiss on her cheek, "Can I ask you something?" he asked after a moment, "I mean, you're going to be pissed at me, I know that but I have to ask."

"Well, once you have it in your head that you _have _to do something, there is no stopping you. Shoot." she told him.

"How many times have you slept with him? Since the divorce I mean." Logan asked her bluntly as she glared at him. "Come on Ace, don't play games. I know you both very well, and I have an odd feeling that the only reason you are so upset about my brother moving on because you thought that maybe there was a chance that he would come back to you even if you would never say it out loud."

"Logan," Rory rolled her eyes, "I don't want him back."

"You didn't answer the question, Ace."

"I don't know." she sighed, her cheeks flushing crimson with embarrassment as she spoke. "We hate each other by day, but some nights...Tristan is safe."

"Cut it out." Logan told her, "Sleep with someone else. Find someone else to be a shoulder to cry on. Let him go Ace."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**A/N: Well, I owe everyone one heck of an apology for the delay, as I said in regards to my other story, I am one month away from my wedding so I am stressed to the max. I appreciate the support and the feedback. Like I said before, my knowledge of politics in the States is slim to none...but soon the election element of the story will be over, so just hang in there! Also, this is a/u, please remember that. In this chapter we have some family interaction, some Tristan/Rory interaction, and some Logan/Rory alone time :) And for those of you who had mentioned it, I want Rory and Logan to cultivate a friendship, so they won't be jumping into the sack together. Rory's concern at the end of this chapter is concern for a friend who she thinks is making a wrong decision, not misplaced affection. Also, when Rory and Logan slept together, they were not in love, they were drunk, and young, and horny for lack of a better word…Logan thought she deserved better than Tristan, but not necessarily that he was any better than Tristan.**

"Mr Huntzberger!" the reporters were yelling from every side.

"What do you say to reports that you fathered a child?" another shouted as Logan cleared his throat at the microphone.

"Good afternoon everyone, thank you for joining us today, even though it is a Saturday, and it is really balmy here in Austin. I want to take a moment, before I answer any questions, or directly answer the question you guys have been asking me all week to say a couple of things of my own. First off, I want to thank my staff who as always work tirelessly through these media circuses, I appreciate the late nights and the strategizing and the phone calls. I also, as always appreciate my family who is nothing if not amazing, always having my back and standing in my corner. I am so fortunate to have my brother Tristan here with me today." Logan nodded back to where Tristan was standing with the kids and Rory on the makeshift stage. "Now, to get to what you all want to know. I did not father a child with Vanessa Vega. Ms Vega and I dated years ago, and I wish her nothing but the best for both herself and her child. Ms Vega and I have completed a DNA test which has clearly shown that I am not the father of her child. I would appreciate, for myself, as well as for Ms Vega and her child that the press move forward without harassing her, or her family regarding the subject. That is all I will say on the subject." Logan looked at his watch, "I think we have time for a question or two." he nodded to his press liaison who pointed to a reporter.

"What do you say to reports that your _step-_brother Tristan is upset over your decision to run for the candidacy based on his future goals?" the reporter asked.

"Well, I think that as any brothers do, Tristan and I have our problems, and our ups and downs. But, I also know him well enough, and I'm sure the media knows him well enough to know that he probably wouldn't be standing here with his kids right now if he wasn't supportive. Tristan and I support each other, and who knows where he will be in 10 years, or what he will be doing, so when his time comes, I will support him as well. That is what family does." Logan adjusted his tie and gave the reporter a charming smile, "Next?"

"What do you say to people who think you have too much money to relate to the average American, and therefore have no business leading this nation?"

"Wow, first off, thank you. A real question that sort of relates to politics, and not about my personal life." Logan laughed, "I think that to answer simply, yes, I come from money, and a lot of it, but that doesn't mean I don't understand how things work. We need to feed money back into the working class, and the middle class in order to revitalize our economy, I am prepared to do so. Now, I know this will make a lot of people in my party unhappy, but the way that has to be done is by increasing taxes on our most wealthy. I think I've gotten off track though, why do I think I can lead this country? I may be rich, but I understand how that makes me different. I have no illusions about being the same as an average joe, but I can assure you, I will work hard to protect every citizen of this great nation." Logan paused and took a sip of his water bottle, "That is all for today folks, so thank you so much for your questions, especially those that had nothing to do with my personal life." he smiled as he walked back into the hotel.

"Uncle Logan, do you have a baby?" Halle asked as she jogged behind her uncle while Jake, Tristan and Rory trailed behind along with the campaign staff.

"No Halle, I do not have a baby." Logan laughed as he put his hand on her shoulder, "Now, what the heck happened while I was here and you were back home? It looks like you grew 6 inches, you are probably a million times smarter than the last time I saw you. Are you wearing makeup?" he teased.

"Uncle Logan it's _just _lipstick." Halle rolled her eyes. She had been given a small amount of lipgloss before she got on stage, much to Rory's dismay.

"Alright you two," Rory interrupted them with a smile, "that is the only campaign item for us today, so Halle we are going to go upstairs, change our clothes, and I believe that Grandpa planned a trip to the zoo for all of us."

"The zoo?" Halle grinned, she had always loved animals, zoos and aquariums had been Halle's choice location for birthday parties, thankfully her birthday was in the spring so it was easy for her to do.

"The zoo, so let's go!" Rory laughed as she watched Halle's pace quicken on the way to the elevator, Jake running to catch up with her. "Thank you for bringing them." she told Tristan as they stayed a few steps behind the kids.

"Well, they need to see their Mom, and you are Mom." Tristan shrugged as he looked between his ex wife and his brother. "How is everything going?"

"Well, the money is starting to trickle in." Rory shrugged, "And other than the one big issue we just dealt with, there aren't too many other skeletons that can come out of the closet."

"So what is the plan?" Tristan asked as the five of them stepped into the elevator, "For the skeletons I mean. Surely my big brother has a few secrets that need to be kept?"

"None that you'll be finding out anytime soon." Logan gave him a grin, "Why don't we all meet at my room, and then we'll go to the car in the parking garage?" he suggested as the elevator door opened.

"Sure, we have the adjoining room with Rory." Tristan agreed as he turned left and Logan turned right. "Are you liking it?" Tristan asked her as they walked down the hallway, once again a few strides behind the kids.

"It's different." Rory shrugged, "But it's fun, there's always something new. Some budding emergency, whether it be about Logan or someone else in the party." she told him as she noticed the kids at the door to the room, "Go in Hal, Dad and I will be in in a minute." she told them as Halle used her key to let herself into Tristan's room where all of the bags were. "Anyway, there is always drama, most of the time it is nothing major, nothing important...but then, some days, we are explaining to the world that Logan doesn't have a child." she laughed.

"God, could you imagine that? Logan with a kid...I mean I can't really imagine it."

"I can." Rory told him quietly, surprising even herself as Tristan raised his eyebrow towards him, "Oh come on," she laughed, "you see him with Hal and Jake, he loves them more than the world."

"That is because he never cleaned a dirty diaper, or got thrown up on. Although I don't know how he avoided getting thrown up on. He absolutely deserved to be thrown up on." Tristan laughed.

"Come on," Rory smiled as they walked to their rooms, "I'm sure that Jacob is wearing your clothes, and Halle has raided my makeup by now."

xxx

"Guys, we need to talk to you." Rory smiled as she sat down on the couch in the sitting area of her hotel room. Tristan had taken a seat opposite her while they waited for the kids to clean up from their trip to the zoo.

"What now?" Halle groaned as she emerged in her pajamas. "I'm tired."

"It has been a long day." Rory agreed, "And Dad and I were just thinking that we could order some room service, and watch some movies, and then early to bed, and tomorrow the three of us, no Dad, are going to go for breakfast, and out shopping."

"Jake, come on." Tristan called from his seat.

"What is going on?" Halle repeated.

"Well, honey, I have a question for you." Rory smiled, she had discussed with Tristan how it would be best to talk to the kids about this, and they had decided that the kids would likely be most receptive if Rory broached the subject. Halle nodded as though to tell Rory that it was acceptable for her to continue speaking, "What do you two think of Lauren?"

"Dad's girlfriend?" Halle rolled her eyes.

"Halle don't be rude." Rory told her, "Yes, Dad's girlfriend."

"I don't care." Halle shrugged, "I mean, it's not like we have to see her all the time."

"Well, what if you saw her more often?" Rory continued.

"I think she's pretty." Jake smiled as he sat with his father.

"She is very pretty." Rory agreed, smiling at her kids, "Dad and I want you to know that we are both going to spend as much time together as possible, just like we promised back at the house." she continued, "We also want to know what you think of your Dad and Lauren being together a little bit more seriously, and more often."

Halle shook her head and crossed her arms across her chest, "I don't like her." she told him.

"Hal," Rory took a deep breath, how had this day ended up like this, "I understand that this is hard, but your Dad loves Lauren, and Lauren is really nice to you and your brother."

"I don't want her around more!" Halle shouted, her face getting red as she grew more and more upset.

"Halle," Tristan stepped in, seeing instant relief on Rory's face as he spoke, "I know that you are mad. Especially because Mom and I said we would be spending more time together, and trust me, we will be, all of us. But I love you, and Jake, but I also love Lauren, and I want her to be a bigger part of my life, of all of our lives."

"I hate her!" Halle spat.

"Halle Emily DuGrey!" Rory glared, "That is enough, you are not to speak to your father that way, and you are certainly not to speak that way about Lauren."

"You can't tell me how to feel!" Halle stomped her foot, "I don't want to talk to you two anymore! I'm going to see Uncle Logan!" she told them as she stormed towards the door.

Tristan immediately stood up to chase her, "Don't." Rory told him as she grabbed the phone off of the table and dialed Logan's number, "Let's just tell him she's coming, and give her 2 minutes to get there." she told him as she dialed, "Hey, Halle is upset...she's coming to see you...just have her call when she gets there and try to calm her down...oh, that's the door? Thanks Logan." Rory spoke into the phone before looking at Tristan and then Jake, "What about you Jake? You got anything to add?" she smiled.

"I like Lauren." Jake shrugged, "Halle is just being mean." he told them, "Can I play now?"

"Not quite, buddy." Tristan laughed as he sat down beside Jake and messed up his hair, "Your Mom and I still have something to tell you."

"Then can I play lego?" Jake rolled his eyes and attempted to re-tame his floppy brown hair.

"Yes, and while you are playing." Rory exhaled, "I am going to try to talk your sister down from her tantrum. So Jake, you said you like Dad's girlfriend?"

Jake nodded, "She makes good cookies." he told them, "Not as good as yours, but she tries really hard."

"Well honey, your Dad and I, like we said, we will always love you, forever and ever both you and your sister. I know that you don't remember a lot from when we were married, but your Dad and I only want the best for each other, and the best for you." she continued, "So how would you feel if Daddy asked Lauren to marry him?"

Jake smiled while he tried to process the information, he was young, but he was old enough to understand what was happening and how things had changed. The truth was, Jake had very few memories of his family being intact, so the idea of them being together was much more foreign than the reality of them being apart. "Does that make you sad, Mommy?" he asked her when he had finished digesting the information.

"Does it make me sad?" Rory smiled broadly, "No honey, Dad and I loved each other for a long time, and now we love each other as friends. So when good things happen for your friends, you are happy for them too. How do you feel about it Jake?"

"Do we still see you on weekends?" Jake looked at his father.

"Of course you do, buddy, and we'll still have dinner sometimes during the week, and you guys will still be living with me until Mom gets back from this work thing with Uncle Logan." Tristan smiled.

"Are you going to have a brother or sister for me?" Jake asked, his forehead creasing as he spoke.

"No," Tristan shook his head with a laugh, the truth was after Jake was born he had a vasectomy because he and Rory had decided that two kids was more than enough, "you and your sister are more than enough trouble for me."

"Doesn't Lauren want kids?" Jake asked.

"Well..." Tristan began.

"You know what," Rory interrupted him as she stood up, hearing about her ex's plan to have kids was just a bit too much for her to listen to right now, "I am going to go talk to Halle. You two can keep chatting about this. I'm happy that you are being so mature about this Jake, you are growing up way too fast." she told him as she walked to him and kissed him on the top of his head, "I love you so much."

"I love you too, Mom."

"See you in a bit, Mary." Tristan smiled, "Good luck."

"If you hear screaming, call the cops..." Rory laughed as she made it to the door and stepped into the hall. The conversation with Jake had gone well, as well as can be expected, and she and Tristan had behaved like adults, now all she needed to do was get through a conversation with Halle. She knew that Halle would be more of a challenge, she knew that Halle would be upset and hate her for saying that it wasn't a big deal.

xxx

"Halle will you please talk to me at least?" Rory tapped softly on the door to the bedroom inside of logan's suite.

"Dad is getting married, isn't he?" Halle sighed, cracking the door open slightly.

"He's going to ask Lauren to marry him." Rory nodded as she leaned against the doorframe.

"Doesn't he love us?" Halle leaned against Rory's chest.

"He loves you so much Halle, you know that." Rory wrapped her arms around Halle's body, "And even though we aren't together anymore, your Dad and I love each other. Things are just different now, it doesn't mean we don't love each other, and it doesn't mean we don't love you."

"The other Mom's and Dad's at school are married." Halle whispered.

"I know they are sweetheart, but this is different, and new, and I am sure that Lauren would love to help you to plan the wedding." Rory told her, trying to stay optimistic about the situation. "This is going to be hard, I can admit that, but come on, we have Grandma and Grandpa, and Uncle Logan, Aunty Honor, Uncle Ty, Aunt Amy. There are going to be so many people around and so much fun stuff!"

"Uncle Tyler is coming?" Halle looked up at her. Tyler and Amy both lived in Barcelona, they had more or less abandoned the family name, not that they didn't appreciate it, but simply to be able to do things on their own, without any interference from Mitchum.

"I don't know yet," Rory told her, "but I would think he would, Uncle Ty loves coming to see you guys." Tyler was Halle's favourite of all of her extended family. Maybe it was because he seemed to be the most exotic, he wasn't around much, and when he was around he always had the most lavish gifts and the most amazing stories. Tyler was tall, tanned and blonde haired, much like Tristan was, the biggest difference was that Tyler didn't care what Mitchum, or his mother thought, about anything.

"Do you like Lauren?" Halle asked her.

"Honestly?" Rory smiled when Halle nodded, "I don't know Lauren well enough to know if I like her. I'm sure that she is a wonderful person, and I know that if your Daddy loves her, then she must be a good person." she told her, "Jake says she's nice."

"She's alright." Halle shrugged.

"You know what I have outside?" Rory asked her.

"What?" Halle grumbled, clearly still upset over the revelation.

"I have the book that you brought from my house, with pictures from when Dad and I were younger."

"From when you were married?" Halle asked.

Rory shook her head, "No, Dad brought a book from when we were in college, when we were all friends." the truth was, Tristan had chosen that particular photo album because it wouldn't give Halle and false hopes, instead it would show her that they could all be friends and move forward. "But you have to come outside so we can have some cookies while we look at them, we can't look at them in Uncle Logan's room."

"Is Uncle Logan outside?"

"Uncle Logan is outside." Rory nodded, "We can go back to my room, your Dad and Jake are in the other room, so it would just be us."

"I don't want to look." Halle shook her head, "It will only make me sad. Can we just watch movies with Dad and Jake, like you promised?"

"Of course we can."

xxx

"I feel like we've been in this position before." Logan grinned as he swung the door to his room open, "Only the last time, you were wearing less clothes." he made reference to their tryst in Vegas. This time Rory was standing in front of him, fully dressed and holding a bottle of wine.

"I had to smile and tell my kids that Tristan is going to ask Lauren to marry him." Rory walked into the room, "I have no girlfriends here, there are just a bunch of campaign workers, and bitching about my ex to a campaign worker hardly seems like a great idea given that my ex is your brother. So, sorry pal, but I am going to bitch to you about your brother."

"Lucky me." Logan closed the door and took the bottle from her hands, "Is it the good stuff at least?" he asked as he examined the label, "An 82 Opus," he smiled, "you must be feeling like crap."

"Can you blame me?" Rory went to the bar and grabbed two glasses and a wine opener, tossing the opener to Logan.

"I told you the other night, you need to move on, you need to embrace being single, date guys, sleep with guys, have fun, hell, sleep with girls." Logan told her as he began opening the bottle of wine.

"That would be great for your campaign," Rory laughed, "I can see the headline now, 'Presidential Candidate Huntzberger's Former Sister in Law Caught in Lesbian Love Affair', that certainly would please your Dad."

"Well when you put it like that, it might be more than Mitchum can handle right about now." Tristan handed her a glass. "So from Halle's appearance in my room, I take it she did not handle the news well?"

"Initially?" Rory brought the glass to her lips and took a long sip, "No. In fact Halle had a horrible reaction which involved shouting and stomping her feet and generally returning to behaviour that one would expect out of a 3 year old. However, when I talked to her here, I calmed her down. I told her Tyler would probably be coming, so obviously she lit up like a Christmas tree." Rory laughed, "I mean, he is her favourite."

"I do not understand why Tyler is her favourite. He is hardly ever around, he just swings in and brings gifts. How am i not her favourite?" Logan huffed.

"Because you still make her eat vegetables." Rory told him, "Tyler is exotic, and fun, and allows them to enjoy a diet of candy and ice cream when he is babysitting. Rest assured, you are my favourite Uncle for them."

"Well that sure means a lot." Logan laughed, "This bottle is pretty good." he nodded towards the wine.

"Yeah, it certainly helps take the edge off." Rory nodded. "You know what," she shook her head quickly, "why don't we talk about you? About the campaign, I mean...money is coming in, that is good...but there is something missing. You are missing some the fire, the spark. There is something about you that the public is still holding at arms reach."

"Have you and Matt been talking?" Logan ran a hand through his hair, "he seems to think the same thing."

"Well, Matt has run a campaign or two, so I would think he knows what he's talking about." Rory sipped her wine and stretched her free hand behind her back, "I mean, you've got the looks, no doubt about that, you are charming as hell, you could talk your way out of anything. You look great holding a baby, and you use real life jargon, so it's not like you are talking in circles around these people."

"Matt says," Logan paused for a moment before he continued, "Matt says that it is because I am single. He says that the country will not trust a single man running for President. There is something about the fact that I am single which suggests that I am broken, or that I am gay. Not that there is anything wrong with being gay, but first off, I am not gay, and second off, apparently this country is not ready for a gay President."

"So we need to find you a woman." Rory shrugged, "We can't set you up on dates, because then it would be too obvious. We need to make a woman appear, out of thin air. Someone who you can trust, someone the campaign can trust, and someone the world will believe that you are madly in love with." she sipped her wine, "Do we hold auditions for that? I mean, is there a casting call?"

"Do you remember Madison Reynolds?" Logan asked, "You guys would have probably gone to school together somewhere along the line."

"Madison." Rory repeated, trying to think back to all of the people she had known, "She went to Yale, and then transferred to Princeton...?"

"That's the one." Logan nodded, "She is an interior decorator now," he laughed, "anyway, Matt was thinking that she might be perfect for it. I mean she's pretty, she's unattached, no skeletons in her closet."

"Logan," Rory sighed and shook her head, "you as much as told me this isn't what you wanted."

"I guess I can see it from the standpoint of everyone else, I mean, I wouldn't trust me either."

"You can't just date someone because Matt says so. Sure, I agree, the campaign is missing something, but I don't think you having a more active sex life is it." Rory told him, "You have an amazing family, you live a fulfilled life, you are happy. I will not watch you throw it all away because Matt says so."

"She's going to meet us in Ohio." Logan continued, seemingly not listening to a word Rory had just said, "I guess we'll see where it goes from there. If she's got what it takes to be a Huntzberger."

"Oh my god!" Rory exclaimed, putting her glass of wine down and shoving Logan in the shoulder, "Listen to yourself! This is not you! This is not what you do! You are not going to date her!"

"No, you're right." Logan exhaled and put his wine glass on the table beside Rory's.

"Thank freakin god!"

"I'm going to marry her." he practically scoffed, "I think my handlers are preparing the pitch and the contract now."

"Five hours!" she shouted as he looked at her with confusion, "I saw you five hours ago, and this wasn't an idea, this wasn't a thought. This is not happening Logan, I will not watch you do this. This is a mistake, you know that this is a mistake. Please don't do this Logan, think about the kids, think about my kids, you want them to call her Aunt Madison? You want her to have an impact on them? Please Logan."

"Look, Rory, I appreciate that you don't want to see me settle, but I am making a choice, a decision for my political future, and this is what it has to be."

"Can't you try to date?" Rory asked him, she couldn't stand the idea of him settling, she hated the idea that he had spent all of these years just to end up with someone he didn't even love. "You know what." she stood up, "I will be right back." she stormed towards the door. Rory quickly made her way down the hall and began banging on another room.

"Rory, what the hell are you doing here?" Matt asked as he opened the door.

"You are coming with me!" Rory hissed as she grabbed his arm and dragged him back to Tristan's hotel room. "You will not marry him off. You will not break his spirit, you cannot do that to him. I will not let you do that to him!" she continued to tell him in a hushed voice in case anyone could hear them. "I believe in him, and I will fight every battle for him. You will not do this, we will find someone, we will let him fall in love, but we will not create a wife for him!"

"Rory he agreed to this." Matt told her as she knocked on the door.

"He agreed to it because you told him he wouldn't win if he didn't!" Rory glared, "I mean shit, you can't be great at your job if you don't think the world wouldn't see right through this!"

"What is going on?" Tristan asked as he opened the door and stepped outside, leaving it open only a crack, "Rory the kids are sleeping?"

"You need to come with me." Rory told him, "Matt you can babysit, the kids are sleeping, so just sit on the couch and watch TV. If they wake up, call Logan's room."

"Rory what is going on?"

"I am not a babysitter!" Matt tried to protest.

"No, you are a moron. So you are going to babysit for a few minutes." Rory practically shoved him into the room, "Come on." she grabbed Tristan by the arm and headed towards Logan's room.

"Mary!" Tristan glared at her, "What the hell is going on?"

"Your brother, your _idiot _brother is going to marry some girl we knew 20 years ago. All because that jackass told him he wouldn't win an election if he didn't. We need to stop him Tristan. This is Logan, Logan deserves better than that. I don't want to see him in 10 years hurt, and alone." she told him, "When this contract, or whatever you want to call it is over, she will leave, and he doesn't deserve that. I couldn't save us, I couldn't help the pain I am in, but I can try to save him this pain. So please, help him. He is your brother."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**A/N: I didn't remember that Matt's last name was Reynolds as well, he and Madison are of no relation. Also, two chapters in succession? Woo! Thank you for all of your reviews/support/encouragement. For those of you worried Rory and Logan will just jump into it...rest assured they will create a better friendship first, and based on these plans...who knows who Logan will date ;)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

"Logan, you know that this is a bad idea." Tristan sighed as he took a seat on the couch.

"Wine?" Rory suggested.

Tristan nodded as he saw Logan roll his eyes, "Logan this is about you, and who you are as a person, you like randomly dating people, and having casual relationships, that doesn't change the fact that you could be a great president."

"Well, my campaign strategists disagree." Logan shrugged, "I mean whatever, we agree to this, I have sex with her twice a week, we go to a certain amount of functions together, she has a spending allowance."

"Logan, she's an interior decorator. You are telling me that you have spent your life dreaming of marrying an interior decorator who from what I recall doesn't know that Mexico is a part of North America?" Tristan glared, he remembered Madison from school, she had been nice enough, and at times reasonably intelligent, but she had been dumb. There were concepts, and facts that the girls just couldn't grasp, on one hand, maybe it was unfair to assume that she was the same girl that she was in high school and college, but Tristan also believed that some things never changed.

"So what do you propose I do, baby brother?" Logan glared at him, ignoring the fact that Rory was even in the room as she handed Tristan a glass of wine and took a seat next to Tristan. "I mean, I don't have women lining up to marry me, nor do I have an ex wife willing to pine for me." he spat, immediately regretting the words as they came out of his mouth. "Ace." he looked at her.

"We're not here to talk about me, or my feelings. Although for the record, you are an ass sometimes, this is one of those times, and Tristan," she turned to her ex husband, "I do not have feelings for you."

"I'm sorry." he mumbled under his breath.

"Look, Logan, all I am suggesting, all that we are suggesting," he nodded to Rory, "is that you actually try to date. Put yourself in social situations, hell Mitchum and Mom have enough contacts that you could probably find someone you actually like. Do not just marry this girl."

"So tell me, why do you two care so much?" Logan looked between the two of them, "How does it hurt you two if I just marry some woman?"

"It doesn't hurt us." Rory told him, "It hurts you, and we love you." she felt like she was talking to her kids again, "We are all a family, regardless of all the other shit that has gone down, you are my family, and you are Halle and Jake's family, we want you to be happy. We know you well enough to know this will not make you happy."

"So if I agree to try to date, and it doesn't work, if the campaign is struggling, are you going to oppose this?"

"Why don't we make this plan... getting married to Madison, it can be the worst case scenario," Rory sighed, "not the first choice."

xxx

"When are you home next Mom?" Halle sighed as she walked hand in hand with her mother, Jake holding onto Rory's other hand.

"Two weeks from now I will be home for the week." Rory told them, "And then it will be your summer vacation, so maybe you guys can spend some time on the road with me, if Dad says its alright."

"Won't you be too busy?" Halle questioned.

"I will be busy." Rory agreed, "But we can always see if Maria can come with you, that way you aren't bored out of your mind. And you have summer camp, so you can't be gone for too long. I think Dad mentioned going to the Vineyard to stay with Aunty Honor and Grandma and Grandpa for a week or so."

"When is Uncle Tyler coming?" Jake asked.

"Uncle Ty will be around I'm sure, I think that is a question to ask your Dad." Rory laughed. "Do you guys want to play at the park?" she suggested as they walked past a set of swings.

"Yes!" Jake grinned, "Can I go?" he asked before releasing his hand from Rory's grasp.

"You can go." Rory laughed, "But just to the swings. You too." she looked at Halle.

"Will you push me?" Halle asked.

"Give me a minute." Rory smiled as she felt her cellphone buzzing in her pocket, "I just need to check this call." she told her as Halle ran off and Rory pulled her phone out, "Are you still speaking to me? Or am I too busy pining over my ex?"

"I knew you would hold that against me." Logan laughed, "I'm sorry about that, Ace. Where are you guys? I was hoping to see the kids once more before they head out this afternoon."

"We are at the Zilker park." Rory told him, "The kids are just playing, being kids instead of teenagers." she laughed.

"Can I come?"

"Only if you can find Uncle Tyler? They seem to be asking about him a lot." Rory laughed.

"Tyler will be in Washington when we are home, I think he's doing a sit in, or a peaceful protest, or some other weird, hippy thing. You know Ty." Logan laughed, "So promise the kids that they will see him soon, but I could use some normal. I'll bring you a coffee." he promised.

"Well, you know that I could never say no to coffee." Rory told him, "How long will you be?"

"15 minutes?"

"See you then." Rory agreed before hanging up the phone, "Alright," she grinned as she put her sunglasses on and walked towards the swings, "who am I pushing first?"

"Me!" both of the kids squealed in unison.

"I'll do my best." Rory laughed as she used each arm to push the kids, she couldn't help but love the way they were so at ease and simply laughing and enjoying the moment. She wished that things could be that easy in her life. Instead she spent her days reading e-mails and memos and threats from other politicians, some of which she had to go to Matt about, others she just took care of and buried as quickly as they came to light. "Uncle Logan is coming to say goodbye." Rory told the kids as she pushed them each on their swings.

"Why?" Halle asked.

"Higher!" Jake shouted.

"Because he wants to say goodbye, he misses you guys." Rory explained, "You are high enough Jacob." Rory warned.

xxx

"I'm at a park." Matt mumbled as he kicked the sand, unfortunately he had made the decision that he would accompany Logan to the park, mainly because he wanted to talk to Rory about the fact that she had railroaded the plan to have Logan at least meet up with Madison Reynolds. "Why the hell am I at a park."

"Oh come on Matt," Rory clapped a hand on his shoulder unexpectedly as Logan had begun playing a game of tag with the kids, "you came because you want to yell at me, and you don't want Logan to realize you are doing it. Sorry for pulling you out of your room last night, that was probably a little bit abrupt of me."

"Abrupt." Matt rolled his eyes, "I get it, he is your family, you love him, Tristan loves him, but my job is to get him elected, I am doing what we have to do to get him elected."

"I understand that you want to get him elected." Rory agreed, making sure to keep a smile plastered on her face in case Logan looked at them, "I want the same thing, but I do not want him to sell himself short to do it. I understand why he needs to look for someone, I understand why he needs to be in a relationship from the perception of the public. But I am not going to watch you sell him, he is a person, he is a good person who deserves better."

"So you would be willing to see him end up in a relationship?"

"As long as he is happy." Rory agreed as she saw Logan and the kids walking towards them, "Put on your happy face," she warned, "and be nice to my kids."

"Of course I would be nice to kids." Matt rolled his eyes, "Did you work up an adequate sweat?" he smirked as Logan took a sip of water.

"Nothing keeps you young like chasing these two around." Logan laughed, "We should go though Matt, let Rory say bye to the kids."

"It was good seeing you Rory." Matt nodded, brushing his brown hair back, "We'll see you on the plane tomorrow?"

"Of course." Rory nodded, "It was good talking to you."

"And uh..." Matt smiled, "don't forget you have to come to the fundraiser in Ohio, Mitchum's orders...so get yourself a pretty dress or whatever."

"Thank you Matt, I'll see you." Rory put her hand on Jake's back, "Let's go guys, we'll walk back to the hotel and then it is time for you to go home."

"Why do we have to go?" Halle grumbled, barely picking up her feet as she walked.

"Because you have a couple more weeks of school, and then we will have so much fun in the summer, and Uncle Logan assured me that in 3 weeks, Uncle Tyler will be in Washington, so we will all be together."

"Isn't it Grandpa's birthday party?"

"Yes." Rory nodded, having forgotten completely that it was Mitchum's birthday party, that would explain why all of the kids were returning to town for the night. "So I am sure that there will be a big fancy party at a hotel somewhere, and if you are lucky, I will ask Uncle Ty to babysit you in the hotel room."

"Are you going to the party, or is Lauren going?" Jake asked, "You can't both go with Dad."

"You're right." Rory nodded, "We can't, so you guys will go with your Dad and Lauren, and if I am invited, which is up to your Grandma and Grandpa, I will come by myself."

"Why wouldn't you be invited?"

"Well, even though Dad and I are friends, sometimes when people get a divorce, like your Dad and I did, it can be a little bit weird to go to parties with each other, so sometimes that means I go to a party, and other times your Dad gets to go to the party." Rory explained as they paused to cross the street. "But if your Grandparents ask me to come, I will be there."

"Can I go through the spinny door?" Jake asked as they came towards the doors of the hotel.

"Of course." Rory laughed as both of the kids ran towards the door. "Come on," she called as the two kids spun through the doors twice, "time to get you to your Dad so you can head home." she told them.

"We want to stay here." Halle pouted as they ran towards her, out of breath.

"No running in the lobby." Rory warned. "You can't stay here, because I am not staying here, so we have to take you to your Dad so that you can go home."

xxx

"I'm tired, I'm going to bed." Rory stated as she walked onto the plane, oversized sunglasses on her face. She hadn't slept well the night before, and now they were on a flight to Cleveland where they would spend the better part of a week touring through Ohio. "Wake me up when we land please."

"Aren't we perky." Logan laughed, "Rough night?"

"I waited until the kids got home before I tried to sleep, and then I couldn't sleep because I missed my kids. You boys are lucky that you don't have any kids." she told them.

"That is only true of me, my dear." Logan told her, "Matt has a daughter."

"You have a daughter?" Rory looked at him. "Why didn't I know that."

"You didn't exactly ask." Matt shrugged as he continued reading his newspaper, "She's 16, she lives in New York with her mother."

"Divorced?"

"Almost 10 years now." Matt nodded, still not taking his eyes off of his newspaper.

"Does it ever stop sucking? I mean, I've only been divorced a couple of years, but so far it sucks." Rory laughed, removing her sunglasses from her head and focusing her attention on Matt.

"It doesn't stop sucking. My ex wife hates me no matter what I do. I'm around too much, or I'm around too little. I give our daughter too much, or not enough...no matter what I am wrong." he laughed, "But, as you get older, it becomes easier to understand that sometimes things go wrong, and eventually you realize that if someone doesn't want to be married to you anymore, there is nothing you could have done to fix it."

"Well that sounds morbid." Logan rolled his eyes as he plugged in his headphones, "Keep going though, I'll just tune you out."

"So I take it your wife left you?" Rory asked before feeling immediate regret when the words left her mouth, "Oh my god, I'm so sorry. That was so inappropriate of me to ask, yo do not need to answer that."

"It has been 10 years, I'm not going to break down in tears. My wife left me, for our real estate agent of all people. They have been blissfully married for 9 years now, and my daughter as well as their two kids live in New York in an apartment I am pretty sure I paid for. But I kept my sanity and a house in the Hamptons, and look at me now...I make winners." he told her, finally putting down her paper, "What about you? You and your ex seem pretty chummy by all accounts, and based on the research I did before I started working for Logan."

"He just left." Rory shrugged, hating how it sounded so simple, "He wasn't in love with me anymore, he wasn't happy anymore. When we were first married, we both had big jobs and worked all the time, and then when we had kids, I slowed down, and almost resented him because of it. I don't know, I guess I just wasn't who he had fallen in love with, and our life wasn't worth fighting for?"

"Sounds like a cop out." Matt told her frankly, "I mean, my wife cheated on me. You want to tell me that you were too focused on your kids, and that is why your husband left you? This stays between us, this is just a conversation between friends."

"We're friends now?"

"Oh come on, we're the divorcees, we have to be friends. Otherwise we are surrounded by happily married people, or even worse, single people who just can't wait to be married." Matt smiled, he had a great smile, big white teeth and emerald eyes, they matched his dark brown hair, with just a few strands of gray.

"I think he was cheating on me." Rory admitted, "I don't know, but I know he cheated when we were dating. He was distant, and one day he was just gone, and it was over, and I guess I never really got an explanation from him. But I mean, between friends...he was probably seeing someone on the side."

"How old are your kids?" Matt asked.

"9 and 6, Halle had just turned 6, and Jake was just 3 when we split up. He doesn't even remember what it was like to have us be together." Rory lamented.

"Neither does my daughter, Ashley. She has made up stories that she pretends to remember sometimes, usually they are based on things we've told her from when she was younger. But she was 5, and it was so long ago." Matt nodded. "Enough of this, can we please talk about getting this guy a girlfriend? Obviously we are not great examples of success because we are both pathetically divorced, but Logan could find someone."

"The party that Mitchum is hosting, call Honor, have her invite colleagues, have Mitchum invite some single people from the office. _If _they click, we can leverage it to seem like the relationship has been going on for longer than it has."

"You are a political genius, did you know that?"

"I am anything but a genius, but I do know that Logan is not great at faking, or lying. That is both an excellent quality, and a terrible one, but regardless it is a quality that he has." Rory explained, and it was the truth, she knew that even though he had kept lots of secrets, including the fact that they had slept together, he didn't enjoy keeping secrets.

xxx

"You and Matt seemed cozy on the flight." Logan commented as he and Rory walked through the bowels of a hotel to get to the back entrance of a ballroom where Logan was speaking.

"We were talking." Rory rolled her eyes, "Don't you want us to get along?"

"Of course I also think that you two were really getting pretty personal...and not even about me." Logan laughed. "Anyway, do I look alright? I am not sure if my makeup is alright?" he joked.

"You look handsome, now go, and talk, I have actual work to do, because Paris is sending me a copy of the next rumour she has heard."

"What would I do without you, Ace." Logan smiled and kissed her cheek as he walked into the ballroom, Rory could hear the applause as he arrived.

"Excuse me," Rory smiled at what appeared to be a coordinator at the hotel, "do you mind if I work in here while he is speaking?"

"Of course not." the employee shrugged.

"Thank you." Rory nodded as she pulled her cellphone and laptop from her bag, Paris had been calling her non stop for what felt like hours, in reality it was only about the last twenty minutes. "Paris, hello, what can I do for you?"

"How long have we been friends?" Paris barked into the phone.

"A long time." Rory rolled her eyes back in her head.

"And would you say we have been good friends?" Paris continued.

"Yes Paris, we have been good friends." Rory agreed, "Most of the time at least, there were a few tough years in high school, but yes, Paris, we are friends, we are good friends, we have been good friends for a long time."

"And you know that I slept with Jamie, and you know about most of my conquests." she continued, "So I would think that I would know the same about you, wouldn't you?"

Rory could feel the colour draining from her face, "Paris, I would like to take a moment to confirm that we are in fact off the record."

"So it's true? You slept with Logan?"

"Are we off the record?" Rory repeated.

"Rory!"

"Paris tell me if we are off the damned record or not!"

"We are off the record." Paris told her, "Rory why the hell am I finding out about this now? A decade later, why am I finding out about this by seeing some god dammed footage from the Wynn? I was at that party Rory, I was _there._"

"Are you in New York?" Rory interrupted her, "We cannot talk about this on the phone Paris. Who else knows?"

"Just me. The guy who found the video couldn't figure out who the woman was." Paris told her. "I'm in the city. Meet me at my apartment?"

"I'll get on the next flight." Rory told her as she hung up her phone. She needed to find Matt, she needed to warn him, he needed to be able to prepare a response in case this got out. Rory quickly sent him a text message, Matt was with Logan, he would be able to duck out of the speech once she contacted him.

_I need to go to New York. Big problems. Come to my room, please. _

Rory quickly made her way up to her hotel room and packed and began packing an overnight bag. She didn't plan on spending the night in New York, but she also knew that after the flight she would need to change her clothes. She had just finished packing her bag when she heard a knock on the door.

"Hey." Rory opened the door after checking the peephole to confirm that it was in fact Matt. "Thank you for coming."

"Is everything alright?" he asked.

"I need you to sign this." Rory put a copy of a nondisclosure agreement in front of him.

"I have signed all of the privacy agreements for Logan already." he looked at her.

"This is for me. I may not be Logan Huntzberger but I was a DuGrey and I am a Hayden, I need to protect myself." Rory explained, "Please sign it, this is about protecting me, and Logan."

"Fine." Matt took the pen and scrawled his name and the date on the paper. "What is going on? Where are you going? Are the kids alright?"

"My children are fine." Rory assured him, "There is a story, it has fallen in the lap of my friend Paris. The one who works in New York. Anyway, this story, it could destroy Logan."

"Oh come on, someone has already tried to accuse him of having a kid." Matt laughed, "What more could he have coming?"

"Logan and I slept together." Rory blurted out, "At my bachelorette party, we were all in Las Vegas..." she paused trying to gauge Matt's reaction, he looked confused. "I was looking for Tristan and he was...not there, he was gone out somewhere. So Logan, Logan was there, and I was drunk, and Logan was drunk. Anyway we slept together, I slept with my ex husbands brother. And now, now Logan who has always protected me, if this gets out, it will kill him, it will kill his goals and his future."

"So we keep it from getting out." Matt told her, not skipping a beat. "We can keep this under wraps for now. Talk to your reporter friend, sweep it under the rug, she will want what is best for you. I'm sure that she loves your kids, she doesn't want to see you hurt. Play that up...you can fix this."

Rory exhaled, leaning her head back, "I cannot believe, after everything that has happened...this might come out." she mumbled. It was the truth, she had been married to Tristan, and then she had gotten a divorce, and even though there were a few terrible moments where awful things were said between the two of them, it had never come out. She knew that more than anything, it would kill the relationship that Tristan and Logan had. Even if they didn't get along all the time, the two of them were brothers, and they loved each other. Rory never wanted to be the one to tear them apart, especially over something like a one night stand.

"Don't tell him." Rory looked up, bringing herself out of her thoughts, let me go and try to deal with this.

"Rory we should at least prepare him."

"If you tell him, he will want to tell Tristan, and I know that this is more familial than you want to deal with, but it will kill the relationship that those two have. So if is in all of our best interest to not tell him until we have to. If it comes to it, if Paris cannot get this under control, I will tell him. I will tell both of them." Rory told him firmly.

"What are you going to give Paris? I can't imagine she is going to do this for nothing."

"I'll give her his wedding. On a silver platter, Paris Gellar can cover Logan Huntzberger's wedding to whoever the lucky girl is." Rory told him, hating that she was using the fact that Logan would be forced into a relationship as a bartering chip.

"See you tomorrow?"

xxx

"Paris!" Rory shouted as she barged into Paris' Upper East Side apartment, "Is Doyle here?"

"No." Paris shouted back, "Kitchen!"

Rory dropped her bag and stomped into the kitchen, "Off the record?"

"Of course." Paris pulled a bottle of red wine from her wine fridge and put it on the counter, "Do you want to start with business, or what led you to sleep with Logan."

"Business. I don't even need to know if I can talk about the personal part right now." Rory admitted as Paris poured a large glass of wine. "I _need _you to bury this."

"Rory this is my job, I can't just make this go away." Paris protested, "I mean, not only for my job but I cannot believe you would ask me to give up my journalistic integrity. This is the news, I have to report the news. You know that."

"I can give you better news." Rory pled with her, "I can give you the biggest story of the year. This cannot be it. Think about my kids, think about my two children, Jacob and Halle. Paris you have known them since the day they were born. Do you want to be the one to inflict this kind of pain on my kids? On me? My family?"

"Rory please do not make this personal."

"Don't make it personal? Paris if it wasn't personal you wouldn't have called me. You wouldn't have told me that it was happening. You would have went to press. You wanted to warn me because we are friends, and also because you love me, and you love my kids. Just like I love you, and your kids." Rory told her, "Paris I will give you the story of a lifetime."

"What is the story? What is a bigger story than 'Presidential Hopeful Has Late Night Tryst with Sister-in-law'?" Paris countered.

"I wasn't married to Tristan yet." Rory protested, "But what story is bigger?" she asked, causing Paris to nod in her direction, "I will give you Logan's wedding. You can exclusively cover his wedding."

"Oh jeeze, how lucky for me. How very Life & Style." Paris rolled her eyes, "You need to do better than that."

"Look, Paris, I am not trying to insult you as a professional, but you and I both know that the only thing holding Logan back from the nomination is the fact that he is unmarried. So you know that if he gets married, he is guaranteeing his place in history. Do you want to be along for the ride?"

"Rory I don't know if I can keep this hidden." Paris told her, "I mean, I don't know how many versions of the tape exist."

"So find out." Rory shrugged, "You tell whoever is selling the tape that you will only buy if under the assumption that it is the only copy, you tell him if you ever find out there are multiple copies you will sue him. Have you told the owner who the girl is? Did you tell him it was me?"

"No." Paris shook her head, "As far as I know, I am the only person who knows that it is you."

"So you get all of the copies, for all that shmuck knows, it is a stripper. You get the tape, I will buy it, I do not care what it costs, and no one will ever know." Rory told her.

"Why not let the tape out." Paris countered, "Let it leak and give the girl a different name?"

Rory immediately shook her head, "Tristan will know. Anyone who knows us would know that was me. They would see that I slept with him. This is not all about politics, this is about my family. Please Paris."

"Fine." Paris agreed, "But Rory you need to make sure that I get the wedding. The wedding that I didn't know was happening."

"I promise you Paris, you will have an invite to this wedding. You will have every bit of access to everything related to this. Thank you Paris!"

"You have to go?"

"Paris I am working on the campaign." Rory told her as she put her wine glass on the counter and embraced her friend, "Whatever it costs, I will buy that tape." Rory paused for a moment, "What does it show?"

"It shows you dragging Logan to your room, or that is what it looks like." Paris explained, "I mean, one can assume what happens once the door is closed. You'll tell me about it later? I mean the details."

"I will give you the details later." Rory promised. "I'll text you when I land."


End file.
